Dursleys by Name, Potters by Heart
by crystaltokyo9849
Summary: Lily and James don’t die that October night in 1981. Instead, they live on in Godric’s Hollow and have three more children after Harry. Now, eight years later, when Dudley Dursley and his little sister Diana Dursley show signs of magic, they are disowned
1. A twist in Fate

Dursleys by name, Potters by heart

Dursleys by name, Potters by heart

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or places that appear in J.K. Rowling's books.

Summary: Lily and James don't die that October night in 1981. Instead, they live on in Godric's Hollow and have three more children after Harry. Now, eight years later, when Dudley Dursley and his little sister Diana Dursley show signs of magic, they are disowned by their parents. Will the Potters take them in? This is my version of what could have happened.

**Chapter One: A twist in fate**

_When Dumbledore had informed the Potters eight years ago that someone very close to them was working for Voldemort, and it would be prudent to use the newly created Fidelius Charm and go into hiding, James and Lily Potter along with their nine month old son Harry, made their closest family friend, Sirius Black, their secret keeper, and lived quite happily, feeling for sure that with Sirius as their secret keeper, nothing could happen to them. Then one day, a few months after Harry's first birthday, Sirius came over to Godric's Hollow, worry written all over his face. He told James and Lily that he felt he was too easy of a choice for the secret keeper position. Everyone knew Sirius was James's closest friend, and would expect him to be the secret keeper. Voldemort was no exception. What if Voldemort kidnapped him and forced him to tell the Potters' location? Sirius would never tell willingly, but what if Voldemort used Imperius, Verituserum, or other methods?_

_James and Lily became worried also after Sirius ended his explanation. It made sense. Then Sirius said they should secretly change the secret keeper to Peter Pettigrew, their other friend, and also a fellow Marauder. James wasn't sure. He trusted Peter with all his heart, but…there was no one he trusted more that Sirius. When James suggested Remus, their third friend, Sirius disagreed. Ever since the war with Voldemort had begun, many werewolves had joined him. What was the proof that Remus didn't? Also, Remus had been very secretive lately and had rarely met with any of his friends. Was he in death eater meetings? James didn't believe Remus was a death eater, but he agreed for Sirius's sake. Lately, Sirius and Remus hadn't been getting along. What James didn't tell Sirius was that yesterday he had gone over to Remus's flat, and Remus had voiced doubts that Sirius was a death eater, because the entire Black family was. It hurt James a lot that both of his closest friends doubted each other. Didn't their seven years together at Hogwarts impact anything?_

_In the end, Sirius convinced James and Lily to switch to Peter and the very next day, it was done, all very secretly. No one was told about the exchange, not even Remus and Dumbledore. Then a few days later, on Halloween, Sirius went over to check on Peter. He often did, to make sure he was safe and that Voldemort hadn't kidnapped him or anything. This time though, things seemed strange. Peter's two room cottage was in disarray. Everything was thrown about and it looked as if he was in a hurry to go somewhere. Sirius immediately got back on his motorbike and went to Godric's Hollow to tell the Potters that Peter had gone somewhere. When he got there though, he received the shock of his lifetime. __**Voldemort**__ had just blasted the door open and was walking inside. Swearing underneath his breath and not wasting a minute, Sirius leaped towards the doorway and quietly hid in the front closet. James and Voldemort were battling, and he watched with wide angered eyes. That rat Peter! How dare he? After he somehow saved James and Lily, he was going after Peter. But how would he save them? The fireplace was in the den, and if he contacted Dumbledore through floo, everything would end, but between the den and the front closet, there was the living room, where Voldemort and James were still battling. There would be no way he could get past Voldemort unnoticed. If only he had the invisibility cloak! Sirius knew he couldn't risk being seen by Voldemort, because he was the Potter's only hope now. _

"_Seems like it's now all over, Potter," hissed Voldemort with a pleased smile on his face. He held James's wand. James glared at him and refused to show his fear. He was a Gryffindor and would die like one. _

"_You'll never win, Tom," he sneered, "One day, Dumbledore __**will**__ kill you!"_

"_DON'T use my hated muggle father's name!" snarled Voldemort, "You foolish boy, don't you realize even now that no one can beat me? I __**will**__ be the strongest sorcerer in the world! Now bow down to me and ask for mercy, and I may spare you!"_

"_Never!" shouted James, "I will never bow down to you…Tom Riddle!"_

"_How dare you," whispered Voldemort with red bloodshot eyes, "You leave me with no choice then. I __**will**__ kill you, Potter, and then your stupid Mudblood wife!" Voldemort raised his wand and muttered, "Avada…"_

_Sirius wasted no time. Right before Voldemort finished the curse, he whispered, "Fio Somniculosus!" and pointed his wand at James. It was a new spell Dumbledore had invented only one month ago. No one knew about it except The Order of the Phoenix. The purpose of the spell was to make the person hit asleep for two to three hours, and had proved useful thrice in previous battles with death eaters._

_Now, a ½ second before the green light of the killing curse reached him, James slumped to the floor, unconscious. Voldemort, thinking he had killed James, let out a loud cackle and started climbing the stairs to the nursery, where Lily Potter and baby Harry were seeking refuge. _

_Lily heard Voldemort's evil cackle and felt tears prick her eyes. James was dead, and even if she survived, there would be a huge hole in her life. If only she could somehow escape with Harry…_

_Sirius quietly ran up the stairs after Voldemort entered the nursery and hid right outside the door, not making a noise. He heard Voldemort arguing with Lily. _

_"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" _

_"Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now..." _

_"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead!"_

"_I said stand aside, filthy little Mudblood!" _

_"Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy..." _

"_Fine then…Avada…" _

_Sirius did the same to Lily as he had done to James, and she too slumped to the floor. Cackling again, Voldemort stepped over her body and looked at Harry._

"_So, Baby Harry Potter…we meet face to face!" sneered Voldemort, "You'll bring about my downfall? Not if I can help it! Avada Kedavra! _

_Before Sirius could save Harry like he had his parents, Voldemort had shouted the curse and it hit baby Harry square in the forehead. "No!" whispered Sirius to himself, horrified, "Not my little Godson…"_

_But then, something strange happened. The spell rebounded and hit Voldemort in the chest. He let out a horrible scream and slumped to the floor, mysteriously turning into dust and leaving his black robes behind. Baby Harry sat in his crib giggling. "Pafoo!" he cried gleefully, spotting Sirius. Sirius immediately ran into the room and hugged his godson. Then he noticed a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. "Strange," he murmured._

_And thus, Lily and James Potter survived that horrible night, and Harry Potter, a mere baby, became the boy who lived. _

_Sirius and Remus apologized and forgave each other for thinking the other was a death eater and all was well between the three friends again. Now Peter Pettigrew on the other hand, received a life sentence in Azkaban on the trial given to him a week later. His words, "Save me James! I didn't mean to! The Dark Lord forced me! Please! Please don't let them send me to Azkaban!" didn't make an affect on anyone. _

_When Voldemort had attacked the Potter house, Lily had been pregnant six months, and three months later, she gave birth to a baby girl they named Annabelle Lily Potter, Anne for short. Remus was named godfather to Anne. Anne had bright red hair like her mother and hazel eyes like her father. _

_Two days after Anne's first birthday, Lily received devastating news that her parents, William and Audrey Evans, were killed in a car accident. Causing her grief to increase, Petunia sent a hateful letter three days later in which she blamed their parents' deaths on Lily's 'freakishness'. It was a very hurtful letter, especially since no magic was involved in their deaths. _

_When Harry was three years old and Anne was two, Lily had twins: one boy and one girl. The boy they named William Henry Potter after Lily's and James's fathers and the girl they named Emmeline Audrey Potter, after their mothers. Will had red hair and hazel eyes like Anne and Emma had black hair and hazel eyes like her dad, James. Harry was the only one in the family who inherited Lily's bright emerald eyes. And thus, the Potter family was complete, and now, the real story starts. _


	2. Dudley Dursley of 4 Privet Drive

Chapter Two: Dudley Dursley of #4 Privet Drive

**Chapter Two: Dudley Dursley of #4 Privet Drive**

Dudley Dursley, age nine, sighed with pleasure as he licked his large five scooped Rocky Road ice cream, walking home from the park with his mother, Petunia Evans Dursley, his eight year old sister Diana, five year old brother Duncan, and three year old sister Delilah. All the kids were sporting big ice cream cones, because Petunia had taken them to Silly Scoops, the local ice cream parlor, on the way back.

Life was good to Dudley. Spoiled rotten to the core, he and his siblings were bought the most expensive clothes, toys, and anything they wanted. In school, Stonewall Elementary, Dudley was the unofficial chieftain and everyone did what he wanted, or else they would have to answer to his fists. He and his best friend, Piers Polkiss, did whatever they pleased and no one questioned them, not even the teachers.

In looks, Dudley wasn't much. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his neck. Only nine years old, he was already 130 pounds and wore adult sized clothes. His mother Petunia was a blonde, bony woman with a rather horsey face and a long neck which she used to spy on neighbors. Her eyes were large and pale, quite unlike her sister Lily's bright emerald eyes. Vernon Dursley, Dudley's father, looked a lot like Dudley, with smooth blond hair, a fat face, three chins, and not much neck. His eyes were beady and sharp.

Diana Dursley was a very sweet kind girl, quite unlike her siblings, or even her parents. She had silky shiny shoulder length blonde hair and big bright crystal blue eyes. She was the prettiest girl in her class, quite smart, and had a ring of friends around her. Dudley, although not stupid, didn't try at all in school so always received straight Ds and Cs. He _even_ got some Cs because he always bullied the weaker kids in school to do his homework for him. Duncan, although only in kindergarten, was already on his way to becoming another Dudley, meaning he was spoiled, snobby, selfish, and mean. Delilah, only a three year old toddler, obviously didn't go to school yet, but everyone could tell she already had her parents around her little finger and was the most spoiled child of the lot. Duncan looked like Dudley and Delilah like Diana.

As for Vernon and Petunia, they encouraged meanness in their children, because they believed it created strength, individuality, and an ability to stand up for themselves. Also, they never yelled at them when they got bad grades, because they believed grades created jealousy and unrest in children and therefore don't really count except to pass by. And thus, the 4 Ds, as the Dursley children were called in the neighborhood, thrived with their parents' attention and grew more spoiled by the day, except Diana that is.

That night, the family was having extra cheesy sausage pizza, and Dudley, who already had eight slices, was reaching for the last one, when Duncan swatted him on the arm.

"You already had eight, fatty! _I_ only had five! This is mine!" yelled Duncan, although he was sitting only opposite of Dudley.

"Not if I can help it!" yelled Dudley back. As Duncan reached for the pizza slice, it zoomed magically into Dudley's awaiting hand, shocking him so much that he dropped it. Everyone was silent, with wide open mouths. What had happened?

"It…it was probably the wind," stated Petunia, laughing weekly. She got up and shut the window, even though the night air was still and silent.

"Mummy, I'll help you with the dishes," offered Diana, after dinner was over. Petunia looked at her and smiled.

"No pumpkin, you just run along and go play with your dolls," she said warmly.

"It's alright," said Diana cheerfully. Petunia frowned. She didn't like politeness in a child and felt Diana was a downright softie.

"Fine then, if you insist," she said, turning back to the dishes. Humming to herself, Diana happily stacked the plates and bowls on top of each other, making a pile higher than her. Suddenly, one of them wobbled dangerously and Petunia gasped.

"Careful Di, you'll drop them, and they were a wedding gift from your Aunt Marge!" but she was too late. The dishes were about to crash onto the floor when Diana screamed, "Stop!"

As if hearing her command, the dishes flew smoothly into the air and landed neatly into the sink. Petunia gasped again and nearly fainted. Diana had her mouth open and stuttered.

"I…I didn't mean too. I…I don't know what happened!" Diana knew how her mother felt about abnormality. With a sob, she ran out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room.

That night, Petunia addressed a letter to her sister, for the first time since nine years. With an angry frown and bitterness in her manner, she folded the letter and put it into an envelope. Then she wrote the address, glaring at each word.

To: Mrs. Lily Potter

The Potter Manor

121 Godric's Hollow

Glen St. Gryffindor, England

Before falling asleep, Petunia set the envelope on the bedside next to her. Then her thoughts turned unwillingly to the hated sister she hadn't seen for 10 years. Anger and bitterness filled her at the thought of Lily. When her parents had been alive, it had always been Lily this and Lily that: sweet Lily, innocent Lily, honest Lily, beautiful Lily, smart Lily. Lily! Lily! Lily! Just thinking about that name sent resentment down her back.

"I can't have more freaks in this house. I just can't!" thought Petunia with tears in her eyes, when she pictured Dudley and Diana, her freak children. She remembered how she much she had hated it when Lily had brought over her freak friends during summer vacation from Hogwarts: Alice Prewitt, Harriet Potter, Nan Vance, and Serena Takahashi. They weren't particularly nasty or anything, but they were so stuck up and acted all high class, never talking to her and always staring at her when she wasn't looking. In reality though, they were only scared of her.

Petunia remembered how proud her parents were when Lily was made a Prefect in her fifth year and then Head Girl in her seventh. In Stonewall High, Petunia hadn't even been close to being put on the A list, let alone being made prefect and head girl. Each year Lily had been in Hogwarts, Petunia had grown more and more bitter, and had been the happiest when she had married that Potter boy and went to live in the freak world with all her freak friends.

Now, Dudley and Diana, her own children, were freaks. In two more years, Dudley would get a letter from Hogwarts and then…No! She couldn't deal with all that over again! When Petunia had married Vernon, she thought she had escaped everything, and the past 11 years had been the happiest years of her life. Now, Dudley and Diana would ruin everything; maybe even contaminate Duncan and Delilah later on. Who knew if magic was contagious? No! She couldn't risk it! Children or not, she couldn't stand freakishness anymore! Anyway, she still had Duncan and Delilah. _They_ weren't freaks, and she would make sure they never would be. She hadn't been careful enough in Dudley and Diana's case, and was now suffering for it. She would not make that mistake again. Dudley and Diana had to go.


	3. The Letter

Chapter Three: The Letter

**Chapter Three: The Letter**

Lily Rose Evans Potter laughed as she and Harry washed the dishes together one afternoon two days later. Although there were house elves to do the work, she sometimes liked to do it herself. Harry was telling her about a prank Will had played on "Uncle" Padfoot only two days ago, when he and the children had stayed over at Sirius's house for the night.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Lily, the ends of her mouth quirked into a smile.

"Yea, and then Uncle Padfoot went into the bathroom; saw his "beautiful" black hair turned into an eccentric pink like Aunt Tonks's, and chased Will all over the house! It was so funny, mum! You should have been there!" exclaimed Harry, spilling dishwater all over the floor by accident. Strangely for a boy, he loved helping his mother out with the after meal dishes. It gave him an excuse to spend time with her alone.

"Oh, I wish I was there!" exclaimed Lily, "Harry dear, you're spilling dirty water all over the floor!" With her wand, Lily cleaned up the mess in a second.

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!" screamed six year old Emma, running down the stairs in distress and hugging Lily's legs. "Will took my doll!"

"William Henry Potter!" Lily called up the stairs. "You come right down this instant, young man!" Will, a cute mischievous kid who inherited his father's love for pranks, slowly came down the stairs.

"Yes, mother dearest?" he asked innocently. Lily gave him the look and he scowled. "Fine, I'll give her doll back!" he muttered. Emma squealed and followed him out of the kitchen.

Lily then turned to Harry. "Sweetie, why don't you now go upstairs now? We're done here and Anne wants me to take her to the library. I'll be back in a sec. Just look after Will and Emma and make sure they don't fight, okay?"

"Okay, mum! Don't worry. I'll keep Will in line!" said Harry with a grin. Lily smiled back. Harry was so reliable and such a big help with the last two. Although Emma wasn't mischievous, she always got into some kind of trouble with Will, who loved bossing her around because he was two minutes older. Anne, her honest shy daughter, was also reliable, but she was often busy reading one book or another, much like Lily had been when she was younger. Anne was highly smart and already started reading her mother's old school books, even though she was only eight. Basically, Anne was a replica of Lily, both on the outside and inside.

Harry was half his mother and half his father. He loved Quidditch and spent his evenings practicing with the snitch with James. He wanted to be a seeker in Hogwarts, like James had been. He also read quite a bit, and constantly asked his mother what books she would recommend. Although he tried his best to follow rules (like Lily), it seemed trouble went looking for him (like James). Many times, Lily received notes from the muggle elementary school Harry went to saying he was found on top of the kitchen roof, turned his teacher's hair blue, etc.

Harry and Anne were the closest of her four children, maybe because they were only one year apart. Although Anne didn't like Quidditch that much, she didn't mind flying sometimes with Harry, and Harry likewise spent time doing things that interested Anne.

Although Will was a prankster and an official member of the Marauders: Generation X, he didn't dare mess with Harry. Harry may have seemed like a pushover from the outside, but oh, if you played a prank on him, you were dead. Even then, Harry was a role model for Will, and they got along relatively well, although Will tried his best to give Anne a hard time, because of course, she was a _girl_. Sweet innocent Emma, on the other hand, got along with everyone (except sometimes Will). She lived in a world of fairy tales and loved all the stories of the Disney muggle princesses, which her mother had told her for bed time stories.

At 6:00 that evening, Lily was straightening out the living room when she saw the flames in the fireplace turning green. Oh good, James was back from work early today. Only 28 years old, he was the Head of the Auror Office in the Ministry for three years, and often worked odd hours along with his co-Auror, Sirius Black. It was the greatest ambition of James to one day become the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, like his father before him, his grandfather, great grandfather, and so on. Until one year ago, James's father, Henry Christopher Potter, had been the Head of the DMLE, but then retired, making his successor Amelia Bones, a kind but very strict woman who fit the job perfectly.

Lily was the Muggle Studies Professor at Hogwarts, and during the school year, instead of sleeping at Hogwarts in her private quarters like the other professors did, used the fireplace in Albus Dumbledore's office and came home every evening before dinner so that she could cook for her family, except when she had to grade exams late into the night. The 100 House Elves that worked for the Potters looked after the children until then.

"Hey pumpkin," greeted James, kissing Anne, who was reading a book on the couch, on the forehead.

"Hey daddy," she greeted, without taking her eyes off the book she had already read three times: The Wizard of Oz.

After giving Lily a quick hug and a kiss, James took out a white envelope from a pocket in his robes.

"This came for you today, Lils," he said, handing it to her. The Potters very rarely got muggle mail, so all the mail they did get was forwarded to James's desk in the ministry.

"Who could it be from?" thought Lily to herself. Turning the envelope over, she saw the return address: #4 Privet Drive. "Petunia?" she voiced in surprise. She hadn't heard from her "dear" sister for nine years. What had prompted Petunia to write _now_? Was everything okay at her home?

"Petunia? Your sister? Why'd she write to you?" asked James with astonishment too.

"Hmm, I don't know," said Lily, her brows furrowed and tentatively ripping open the envelope.

Lily,

Don't think that just because I'm writing to you, I like you any better or anything. I still hate you. ("The feeling is mutual!" Lily thought)

No matter how much I hate doing this, I need your help. Today, something horrible happened, and it's your entire fault! ("_Now_ what did I do!" thought Lily angrily)

My son, Dudley, and my daughter, Diana, showed signs of…of…freakishness! Yes, freakishness! Can you even imagine my horror and disgust? Dudley made a slice of pizza fly into his hand and Diana levitated dishes into the sink! I can recognize those signs, as you had shown similar ones before you were accepted into that…stupid freak school!

Vernon and I discussed this issue for an hour before coming to a decision. We don't want Dudley and Diana _or_ their freakishness! I still have two younger children, Duncan and Delilah, and I won't let Dudley and Diana contaminate them. We were a normal family, and because of you, we're about to be ripped apart! But I won't let you ruin our lives any longer! Children or not, Vernon and I are hereby disowning Dudley John and Diana Elizabeth Dursley.

You may take them if you wish and raise them in your freaky ways. I really don't care. If you don't want them, we'll just leave them in the orphanage, and if the orphanage is too full, on the streets. Personally, I am not concerned one bit about what you do, as they are no longer my children, but orphans. Write me a reply back as fast as you can, because we _do_ have lives we want to continue.

Petunia


	4. A decision Made

Chapter Four: A decision made

A.N (IMPORTANT): Okay, so _after_ I started this fanfiction, I was searching for good fanfics to read in the Harry Potter section, and found one called Your parents don't know what they're talking about by Oxiate. It is creepily very similar to my story (in the beginning) and a thought came to me that someone may think I copied it from Oxiate. I solemnly promise on _and_ Oxiate that I didn't, and any similarity is pure coincidence, so please don't report me. If there are also any _other_ fanfics that are like my story, I promise to you I never saw them, read them, and copied them. Thank you…

**Chapter Four: A decision made**

"Stupid Petunia! Stupid, heartless Petunia!" Lily raged, her face becoming pale and her lips throbbing with anger. James silently backed away. An angry Lily was never good to be around.

"How could Petunia and Vernon dislike their own children just because they are magical? It doesn't make any sense!" continued Lily with a deep frown.

"What happened, mum?" asked Anne, who was still on the sofa. Lily and James both jumped and turned around.

"Oh, nothing dear. Don't worry about it. Now, why don't you go upstairs to your room and continue reading your book there? Daddy and I have something important to discuss!"

Anne badly wanted to find out what upset her mother, but she knew better than to argue. Oh well, if it was something big, she would probably find out about it later anyway.

After Anne walked upstairs, Lily turned to James, tears suddenly forming in her beautiful emerald eyes.

"Lils, what's wrong? What happened?" asked James quietly, gathering her into a hug.

"Oh James, I hate Petunia! I hate her so much, more than I ever did, especially after reading this letter!" Lily sobbed into James's shirt.

"What did she do?" asked James softly. He had learned in the past that the best way to deal with Lily's emotions was to comfort her and talk to her slowly.

"Her children…they're wizards, James!" exclaimed Lily, finally drying her tears, "And…Petunia and Vernon…don't want them anymore!"

"What?? That's…completely ridiculous!" said James with shock, "May I see that letter?"

Lily silently handed him the letter and James read it, his face becoming angrier and angrier after each word. After he was done, he threw it down on the table and started pacing.

"How do Vernon and Petunia have the heart to do this?" said James in a loud voice, "Dudley and Diana are their own children!"

"James, Petunia can get pretty nasty when she dislikes something or someone, but I never knew she would be so cruel to her own children! And calling them orphans, that is going too far! As for Vernon, I never liked him from the start! He has no…feelings, and it would be just like him to throw his own children out!" cried Lily.

"What a pair!" thought James heatedly to himself.

"James, we…we _have_ to take them in! Those poor darlings, they need us!" said Lily softly, her motherly instinct taking over. "Please! I can't bear to think of them in an orphanage or even worse, on the streets!"

James turned to her, a hurt look on his face.

"Lily, did you really think I would say no? Of course we're going to adopt them. There's no need to plead like that! No niece or nephew of James Potter is _ever_ going to find themselves in the orphanage!"

"I'm sorry, I guess I got a little carried away. Oh, I'm so happy!" Lily cried out, rushing into James's arms. "We _have_ to tell the kids. They'll be so glad they will have someone else to play with!"

"Yes, but first write a reply to Petunia so she doesn't do anything drastic before we get to Surrey," said James.

"Yes, of course!" said a very relieved Lily. On the way to the owlery, her mind went to her nephew and niece. How did Dudley and Diana look like? What were their personalities like? What were their favorite foods? "We must decorate rooms for them before they get here," thought Lily, her creative mind taking over.

In the owlery, Lily walked over to the little desk in the corner of the room, took out a piece of parchment that had wands as the border (just to bug Petunia), dipped her quill in some royal blue ink, and wrote.

Petunia,

First of all, all the feelings you feel towards me are mutual! Second of all, I honestly don't know how much more horrible you can get. What kind of mother gives up her children for such a cruel reason? You seriously have to change your priorities soon! Mum and dad would have been ashamed if they knew what you were doing.

Anyhow, of course I will take in Dudley and Diana as soon as possible, so don't you dare do anything drastic before I come, or you'll have to answer to my wand, or James's for that matter! If you think _I'm_ scary when I'm angry, just wait until you encounter James!

I'm coming tomorrow morning at 8:00, whether you like it or not, so you'd better be ready! Oh, and Dudley and Diana are _not_ orphans, and never will be as long as either James or I are alive! Even if we ever die early, there are plenty of people we know that would take them in and raise them as their own children, something you're not capable of doing! So don't you dare do anything to them before now and 8:00, or else you _will_ have to answer to me, because they are now _my_ children!

Lily

Three hours later, Lily was finished decorating her niece's and nephew's bedrooms. She had just come home from Hogsmeade with Dudley's and Diana's new furniture, and with her wand's aid and the many household spells she knew, it hadn't taken long to finish.

The Potter Manor was five floors high, with six spacious bedrooms each on the second and third floors, and two medium-sized bedrooms on the first floor. The entire fourth floor was the library, and incidentally both Lily's and Anne's favorite room of the house, even including their own bedrooms.

Finally, the fifth floor held the drawing room, an indoor magical swimming pool, and a magical fitness center.

The very large finished attic was the servants' quarters, also called the house elves' quarters. The Potters believed in equal rights for house elves and looked after their own 100 with a lot of kindness and fairness. Other than the luxurious living quarters, the Potter house elves received five galleons a week and one vacation a month (something lots of Wizarding families don't even receive from their jobs). They would have given more, but the house elves threatened to commit suicide if they were more generous. Isabella, the old matronly head house elf, was at first aghast when Lily and James told her and the other 99 house elves that they were paying them, but when James jokingly said he would present them all with clothes if they didn't accept the money and vacations, they quickly accepted, but only to a limit.

The attic was furnished with deep brick red carpet, gold wallpaper, and 100 four poster beds with red and gold curtains (even though the attic was large, it was magically enlarged in the inside so that it would still be spacious even with 100 house elves). Next to each bed was one spacious cherry wood dresser, and on either side of the room was one bathroom.

The house elves were even given nice looking "uniforms", which James strongly told Isabella were NOT clothes. The uniform consisted of different colored pillowcases, embroidered for the females. All of them, both males and females, also got a red and gold badge, which held the Potter crest, to be pinned onto their "uniforms". After awhile, the house elves had to admit that the improved pillowcases were indeed nice, and whenever they went out on errands, they proudly flashed their badges at passersby to show that they belonged to _the_ Potters.

On the second floor, the first bedroom belonged to Lily and James, the second one to Will, the third to Emma, and the fourth and fifth to guests.

On the third floor, the first bedroom belonged to Harry, the second was empty, the third to Anne, and the 4th, 5th, and 6th, were basically for guests, but Lily now decided that the second bedroom would be Dudley's and the 4th would be Diana's.

In Dudley's new bedroom, which was very large and had two big windows with blue velvet curtains (one facing the front and one facing the garden), the wallpaper was royal blue with gold border and the floor had a deep plush midnight blue carpet. Next to the window facing the garden, was a large queen sized bed (that had blue and white bed sheets and quilt, and four fluffy blue and white pillows) with a spacious dresser on its other side. Facing the bed was a walk in closet that was the size of half the room. Next to the closet was Dudley's very own bathroom, which was decorated in blues, whites, and golds also. Taking up half the southern wall was a rich mahogany desk with a cushioned swivel chair. Finally, to the right of the bedroom door was an enormous bookshelf that was currently empty and to the left was a floor to ceiling clothing cabinet.

Diana's bedroom was nearly the same except that it was decorated with pinks, greens, yellows, and whites. Also, the furniture was more girlish and placed in different spots.

After finishing up, Lily sighed with relief and pleasure. She couldn't wait to see Dudley and Diana's expressions when they saw their rooms tomorrow. Hopefully, they would like the colors she chose out for them.

After making sure Will and Emma were asleep, and telling Harry and Anne to put down their books and go to bed, Lily snuggled up in her own bed next to a snoring James with a smile on her face. What surprises would the next day bring? Little did she know that in only 10 hours, her and her family's lives would change forever.


	5. Hurt and Comfort Part 1

**Chapter Five: Hurt and Comfort (Part 1)**

"Mummy, where are you going?" asked Emma, munching on a banana nut muffin the next day at 7:30 in the morning.

"Your daddy and I are going to Privet Drive," replied Lily promptly, checking herself in the bedroom mirror, "and sweetie, I told you not to bring food into the bedrooms."

"What's Privet Drive?" asked Emma with an innocent face, pretending she hadn't heard her mother's last comment.

"Privet Drive is the street where your cousins live," replied Lily, smiling to herself at her little daughter's antics.

"We have cousins?" asked Will, appearing in the master bedroom, out of breath. He had been running from Harry, because he had stolen Harry's practice snitch.

"Yes, you have cousins. Now, Will and Emma, listen to me carefully. Your cousins, Dudley and Diana Dursley, are magical like all of us, but their parents aren't. They're muggles. Your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon don't want them, because they hate magic, so we're going to keep them, alright? Your daddy and I are going over there right now to pick them up, and we'll be back in three hours, because we're going to use the car. Uncle Sirius is going to look after all of you, so be on your best behavior, alright?" said Lily sternly, mostly to Will. She knew Emma could behave herself, but Will was another story.

"Mummy, why don't Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon like Dudley and Diana? Aren't they their own children?" asked Emma, quite confused.

"Yes darling, but…there are people like that out there. Even if their own children are different from them, they don't love them," replied Lily sadly.

"If…if we weren't magical, would you…would you still love us?" asked Emma, afraid at the prospect of her parents not loving her.

"Of course sweetheart, we would and still will love all four of you now matter who you turn out to be," replied Lily.

"WILLIAM HENRY POTTER!!" came the angry voice of Harry, as his footsteps neared the bedroom. Will gulped.

"Uh oh, godda run!" he exclaimed, disappearing underneath the bed. Lily laughed and checked herself once more in the mirror, making sure she looked "normal" enough for Petunia. Lily was wearing khaki pants and a green silk top, and her long red hair fell in smooth waves down her back. She wore silver hoop earrings and a matching silver necklace that one of her best friends and sister-in-law, Harriet Potter (James's twin sister) had given her for Christmas. Yup, she was ready.

"James! We have to go!" she called into the bathroom. After grabbing her purse, she went downstairs just in time to answer the doorbell.

"Sirius! Just in time, as always!" she greeted happily, inviting Sirius into the house. Two minutes later, James came downstairs.

"Do I look muggle, Lils?" he asked seriously. James was wearing black pants and a blue casual t-shirt. Lily smiled. She knew how much James was trying to act muggle, so that Petunia wouldn't find any cause to criticize her further, and she appreciated it.

"Yes dear, now let's go!" she said, grabbing his arm and dragging him out the door.

"See you later, Padfoot! Oh, and could you please convince Will to return Harry's snitch to him before Harry murders him?" came the voice of James. Sirius chuckled and went in search of William Potter, who was still hiding underneath the bed in the master bedroom.

Lily and James apparated just outside Magnolia Crescent, in an old abandoned alley. Then James took out a miniature beetle sized blue Mercedes Benz from his pocket, checked to make sure no one was looking, and tapping it with his wand, turned it back to its normal glorious form.

"I'm so glad you forced me to get my license three years ago," he muttered to Lily after they both got in. Not even five minutes later, they drove into the immaculately neat driveway of #4 Privet Drive. Anticipating the meeting they were about to have, both of them walked up to the porch and Lily rang the doorbell.

The past three days had been absolutely horrible for Dudley and Diana Dursley. Their parents hadn't talked to them unless they had to, and their siblings had looked as if they were frightened of them. Dudley just glared the entire time, not showing the hurt and anger he had been feeling, but Diana had let the tears flow. A really sensitive girl, the neglect and hostility her parents had been showing her the past three days were really hurtful to her. The previous night, she had sat on the floor in front of the window, glancing out at the beautiful night sky, with its crescent moon and tiny sparkling stars dotting the sky. With sudden inspiration, Diana had folded her palms and closed her eyes.

"Dear God," she had whispered, "I don't know what I did wrong. If it was making the dishes fly into the sink, I didn't mean to. I honestly didn't. Please forgive me any of the wrongs I did, and please don't let this hurt continue! I know it's only been three days, but it feels more like three years. I love mummy and daddy, but why do they hate us now? I want to feel loved again, and I know Dudley does too, even though he doesn't show it. Please, please dear God, please make our lives like how they were before! Please show me a sign that tells me I didn't do anything wrong!"

Diana didn't know if she imagined it or not, but something like a shooting star had flown past her window.

The next morning at 6:00, Petunia and Vernon had woken up Dudley and Diana, and told them that since they were freaks and didn't deserve their love, they disowned them. It was astonishing how simply and non-caringly they had said this. Diana had burst into tears, and Dudley's face had gone white. He glared at the floor while his parents continued. They told him and his sister that if their Aunt Lily and Uncle James would adopt them, then they would go live with them, but if they didn't come, then they would go to the orphanage. Diana had stared at the parents who had loved her so much with surprise and hurt. So it was true. Her parents didn't love her or her brother, and they never would.

Now, at 7:55, they waited in the living room with one duffel bag each. Their mother had allowed them to take anything that would fit in that bag and that bag only. Everything else would go to Duncan and Delilah. Diana clutched her bag to her chest and waited, trying not to cry. She was leaving the first home she had ever known since she had come home from the hospital eight years ago, and she would never come back. Dudley's glare, which had helped him make it the past three days, was still plastered on his face, but now there was a sign of helplessness and vulnerability on it. Both kids waited, and waited, and waited, for what seemed an eternity, but it was only five minutes. Finally, exactly when the clock struck eight, the doorbell rang, and both kids jumped, along with their so called parents.

The door was opened to reveal a bony woman with a frown on her face. Lily stared at her sister, whom she hadn't seen for nine years, with surprise. Petunia, who had been very bony nine years ago, had gained a little more weight, but not that much. She was still extremely thin, and her mousy blond hair was thinner. Her taste of clothes, however, hadn't changed. She was wearing a ridiculously vibrant salmon colored summer dress with large teal flowers plastered all over it. Lily smiled to herself. "Well," she thought, "I look more "normal" than her then, huh?"

"Come in. They're in the living room," she said stiffly. James put his arm around Lily's shoulders comfortingly and led her into the house. The living room was ridiculously clean just like the garden outside, and two children sat on one of the sofas quietly. When Lily and James entered, they looked up and stared at their aunt and uncle, with whom they were going to live for the rest of their lives.


	6. Hurt and Comfort Part 2

**Chapter Six: Hurt and Comfort (Part Two)**

Lily looked warmly at Dudley and Diana. "Hi," she said with a soft smile, "I'm your aunt, Lily Potter, and this here is your Uncle James."

"We know," said Dudley abruptly, "We're not stupid."

Lily was stunned by his words but then shook them off. Of course he would be cold with her. After all, she and James were taking them away from their home.

"Where is their stuff?" Lily asked Petunia.

"They're holding them," said Petunia with a turn of her nose.

"That's…all they have?" questioned Lily with a frown after glancing at their duffel bags, "Aren't they bringing everything?"

"I don't know," said Petunia uncaringly, "I told them they were allowed to pack one bag with anything they wanted, and they did. End of story."

Lily's eyes blazed with anger. "Petunia! How could you? You're already kicking them out. Isn't that enough for you? Now you're even putting a limit to what they can take? What kind of mother _are_ you?" she exclaimed with irritation.

"It's none of your business!" Petunia shrieked, losing her "uncaring" calm demeanor. "For freaks like them, I shouldn't have let them pack anything, but because of the kindness of my heart, I did!"

Lily laughed scornfully. "The kindness of your heart? Are you seriously stupid? No mother who is "kind" would give up her children like this, and you know it, Petunia Dursley!"

"How dare you!" came a voice from the doorway. A very overweight person was walking into the living room, shaking the place a little with every thundering step (ignore my dramatic adjectives). "It's not poor Petunia's fault our first two offspring were worthless freaks!" exclaimed Vernon Dursley, his face turning red and spit flying everywhere with each word.

Diana, after hearing her father's words, burst into tears. Lily ran over to her and slowly gave her a hug, hoping she wouldn't be pushed away. But Diana let Lily hug her, and after while dried her tears. Lily looked sadly at her and then turned to Vernon, her eyes blazing, but he continued.

"Your kind are taking this country to the dogs! Because of you, hard-working people like us are losing jobs, money, and are unable to feed our families! Because of you, our lives are being altered everyday as you spread your dirty blood to our children, making them freaks! Soon, Dudley and Diana will become like you: stupid, worthless, rubbish…" but Vernon didn't get to finish his words, because before Lily had pulled out her wand, James had his in front of Vernon's face before you could say the word magic. His eyes were blazing fire and right then, he looked even more dangerous than even a death eater.

With a flick of his wand, James sent Vernon flying into the air and hit the wall (not too softly), but because of his body size, Vernon wasn't injured much and got up with fury written all over his face. However, he didn't dare say nor do anything, as James's wand was still pointed at him.

"How _dare_ you, you big, fat, ugly…giant of a man!" said James, as calmly as he could, his eyes still dangerously blazing. "Don't you _ever_ say anything about Lily again! Worthless? Lily is worth extremely more than you, your wife, your house, your job, and your money put together! If anything, _you_ are the one worthless, disowning your children and making excuses for it! You disgust me!"

"James, calm down, please!" Lily pleaded, glancing at Diana who was trembling from the fight between her father and uncle.

"Sorry Lils, but this fat oaf deserved everything I did or said!" said James, calmer now but still glaring at Vernon. Vernon on the other hand, bravely got up and shrieked at the top of his lungs with spit and bits of his mustache falling everywhere, "OUT! Get Out of my respectable house, and never come back!"

By now, Duncan and Delilah, who had been playing in the basement, came out to see what was going on. Their eyes widened when they saw their father so angry.

"Gladly!" said Lily, staring with utter dislike at her sister and brother-in-law. She then softened her expression to one of congeniality and looked back at the two children still sitting on the sofa. "Come on them, sweethearts, let's leave this place."

Diana reluctantly got up from the sofa and reached for Lily's offered hand hesitantly, but Dudley just held his duffel bag more tightly and walked past Lily to the door. Lily sighed. 'I'll just need to work harder with Dudley,' she thought. She liked a challenge once in awhile and was sure she could win Dudley's affection eventually. Little would she know that it would be harder than she thought.

After the four of them got in the car, Petunia couldn't help but yell out from the doorway, "Good riddance!"

Diana started crying again so Lily, with a flick of her wand, sent a tickling hex at Petunia, who started laughing crazily and jumped all around the porch like a hyena. The neighbors turned to see what the noise was and were shocked at "petite" Petunias crazy behavior. With a satisfied smile, Lily put her wand back in her sleeve and said gently, "James dear, let's go home."

Promptly at 11:30, James drove the Mercedes Benz into the Potters' large garage and parked. "I really don't know how muggles transport with these crazy things," he muttered exhaustedly, "Doesn't it take _forever_?"

Lily laughed and said nothing. Turning to the kids, she said kindly, "Come on, let's go in."

Diana and Dudley slowly followed their aunt and uncle up the long winding path to the front door, their eyes curious despite their apprehension. Lily took out the key from her purse and unlocked the door, walking in and shouting up the stairs, "We're home!"

Not even a minute later, lots of feet were thundering down the stairs and voices were heard saying things at the same time.

"Mummy! Will broke my unicorn's head!"

"No I didn't! I was just _looking _at it and it broke!"

"Mum! I lost The Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe!"

"Mum, Will tied up Uncle Sirius and left him in the second floor guest room!"

"Mummy, could I please please please have some cookies, with pumpkin juice!"

"Mum, can we _please_ send Will to live with Uncle Remus? He's driving me crazy!"

"Mum, who are they?"

This last came from Anne, finally noticing the two new people standing quietly in behind her parents.

Lily rolled her eyes at her kids' behavior and said laughingly, "Thank you Anne, for finally noticing your cousins!"

"Oh, hello!" greeted Anne nicely, "I'm Annabelle Lily Potter, but everyone calls me Anne. Nice to meet you!"

Diana shyly murmured a same to you, but Dudley didn't say anything. Lily noticed this, but ignored it for the moment as she said, "Harry, Will, Emma? Don't you want to introduce yourselves?"

"Harry James Potter," said Harry, holding his hand out to Dudley, who looked at it for a full minute before abruptly shaking it for a half second and then bringing it back to his duffel bag.

"William Henry Potter at your service!" exclaimed Will cutely, his mischievous face breaking into a friendly grin.

"I'm Emma, Emmeline Audrey Potter!" Emma cried cheerfully, throwing herself at Diana with a big bear hug, "and I'm very _very_ happy you're here!"

Diana's mouth quirked into a very small smile, so small that only Lily noticed. Heaving a sigh of relief, Lily gently said, "Come on, Dudley and Diana, I'll show you to your rooms so that you can settle in before lunch, alright?"

Dudley and Diana followed Lily up the stairs to the third floor, and stopped in front of the second bedroom when she did. Opening the door slowly, Lily said, "Dudley darling, this is your room. I hope you like blue, because if you don't, I can always change it."

Although Dudley was still angry with life in general, he had to gape at the room before him. It was four times the size of his room in Privet Drive, and was so…_luxurious_. And it even had a bathroom inside of it. The Dursley weren't at all poor, quite the contrary, but Dudley now realized the Potters were rich, dead rich. This house itself seemed like a palace! The room didn't make Dudley feel at home yet, but he walked in and set his duffel bag on the floor.

"I like blue," he said simply, and left it at that. Deciding that talking as less as possible was the best course of action, Dudley walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Lily smiled a little. At least Dudley had talked.

"Come Diana, let's take you to your room," remarked Lily, walking a few more steps and stopping in front of the fourth bedroom. Opening the door, she said, "I hope you like it!"

Diana gasped at the pretty but cute girlish room that surrounded her. It was hers. "It's very beautiful," she said politely. Then, turning to Lily, she said, "Thank you, Aunt Lily…for everything."

Lily gave Diana a big hug and whispered, "You're very welcome, Diana. Just remember, I know I probably will never be able to replace the love your parents once had for you, but I promise with all my heart that I love you just as much as I love my own children. Actually, you are one of us now, a Dursley in name, but a Potter at heart."

"A Dursley in name, a Potter at heart," Diana whispered as she too walked slowly into the bathroom. Five minutes later, as she walked down to the dining room, she pondered on that statement, and found to her astonishment that it didn't sound as bad as she thought. "A Dursley in name, a Potter at heart."


	7. Author's Note

Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Hi everyone! First of all, thanks a bunch to all my fans. I really appreciate your reviews and it just makes my day when I read them! Second of all, someone told me that I was moving too fast with the story by posting two chapters a day and to please slow down. If anyone else feels like that, please tell me, because I will definitely slow down. Also, I would really appreciate it if people tell me how I can make this story better, because I want this to be a good story, and I want all my readers to enjoy it.

I'm also posting a fun contest for any Riddle fans. I will give you five riddles and if you get ALL five right, you get to choose the name of the muggle elementary school Dudley, Diana, and the Potter children will go to eventually (you'll know what I mean later on). You will also get to choose the name of Dudley's "enemy" at school, and I'm sorry, but it can't be Harry!

Okay, here goes…

What is broken every time it's spoken?

What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?

After teaching his class all about roman numerals (X 10, IX9 and so on) the teacher asked his class to draw a single continuous line and turn IX into 6. The only stipulation the teacher made was that the pen could not be lifted from the paper until the line was complete.

When you have me, you feel like sharing me. But, if you do share me, you don't have me. What am I?

Paul's height is six feet, he's an assistant at a butcher's shop, and wears size 9 shoes. What does he weigh?

**The Deadline is August 15, 2008**

GOOD LUCK!!


	8. Tough Exterior

**Chapter Seven: Tough Exterior**

That evening, Lily made a feast for dinner, literally. Good naturedly shooing the house elves out of the kitchen and telling them to have a break from work, she took over the kitchen and started chopping, mixing, grinding, and frying. Lily didn't let anyone come into the kitchen, not even Harry or James. Putting on an apron that said Mother Cook, a birthday present from Harry and Anne she had gotten three years ago, Lily went to work.

Meanwhile, Dudley and Diana, who had nothing else to do ever since after lunch, decided to explore 'the castle', a name which they had come up with for the Potter Manor, which was also called Potter's Place by those close to the Potters. They kids walked up the stairs to the fourth floor and entered the library. It was magnificent, with shining mahogany shelves lining the walls and floor to ceiling cherry wood bookshelves in the middle. There had to be at least 500,000 books in there, if not more! Off to the corner, there was a circular alcove with fluffy couches, soft armchairs, and one window seat underneath the tiny cozy window which looked out at the Quidditch field. It was the perfect spot to cuddle up and read forever and ever. Dudley, who had never had any interest in books before and certainly didn't now, got bored after being in the library for five minutes and left to explore the fifth floor.

Although Diana had never been an avid reader, the shiny copies of the thousands of books beckoned to her, so she allowed her feet to carry her over to the family genre section. Riffling through the books, she read title after title. Finally, one particular book caught her attention: Elizabeth of Glenwood Farm.

"Hmm," she thought to herself, "I heard this was a good book." Taking it out of the shelf, she proceeded to the little alcove and cuddled up on the window seat, which also had five very fluffy pillows to cuddle up on. Turning to page one, Diana read, "The little yellow house in Glenwood Farm had not been occupied for 10 years, but when a horse carriage passed along…" Soon, she was immersed in the book and after chapter one, read chapter two, then three, then four. An hour passed, and before long, it was 6:00.

Meanwhile, Dudley Dursley, still very peeved with the changes in his life, employed himself with criticizing any aspect of the Potter Manor he could find. "The fifth floor carpet is too worn out," he thought scornfully, stomping on the aforesaid floor covering which was in fact very elegant and lush.

"The wallpaper is too gaudy, and the chandeliers are in addition exaggerated."

Dudley opened the last door down the hall and discovered a magical in door swimming pool. Only one word could describe it: impressive! Although, Dudley wouldn't admit it to save his life, the swimming pool did indeed look awesome. It was very lengthy on all four sides and even held two long slippery slides opposite each other. However, the part that made it impressive was not the slippery slides, but the four taps stuck to each end of the pool. When turned, each different tap squirted scented and colored bubbles that lingered for one hour. Also, there was a gold button next to each set of four taps that if pressed, adjusted the temperature of the pool, making it hotter or colder for the swimmer's comfort.

Dudley would have loved to jump into the pool and relieve his unhappiness, but there was already someone in it, and he didn't feel like talking to that person just yet.

"Hey!" greeted Harry, swimming over to the edge where Dudley was standing, "Want to join us?"

"Us?" asked Dudley, confused. Wasn't Harry the only one in the pool?

"Oh, Emma's with me too," said Harry, "She's in the bathroom, putting her swimming suit on. Mum doesn't want her to swim by herself, since she's only six, so I have to stay with her whenever she wants to swim."

"I'm going to be seven in two more months, Harry!" Emma exclaimed offended, just coming out of the bathroom and jumping into the three ft. part of the pool with her ruffled pink and green swim suit. "Then, I'll be big enough to swim all by myself!"

Harry laughed. "I doubt it, Ems, you know how very protective mum is." 

"I'll convince mummy," said Emma with confidence, "Dudley, join us! There's tons of space!"

Dudley wasn't in the mood for Emmeline Potter's sugary cheerfulness, so he said very abruptly, "No, I don't want to."

"Oh well, maybe next time then!" Emma exclaimed again, splashing water all over the place with her childlike happy-go-lucky manner. Dudley, feeling his evening was more spoiled than before, stomped out of the pool room and slammed the door shut, leaving behind him a shocked Harry and Emma.

"Not a happy person, huh?" Harry mused, "Poor guy, I would be like that too if I went through what he did."

"Diana sweetheart, dinner's ready," Lily said softly, poking her head through the library doorway. Diana jumped, and dropped Elizabeth of Glenwood Farm on the floor.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, retrieving the book from the floor.

"Don't worry about it," said Lily, coming in. Glancing at the book, she said, "That's a good one. It was one of my favorites when I was a child."

"Yes," said Diana shyly, "I only finished with the sixth chapter, but…I like it."

"Do you read a lot?" asked Lily, walking out of the room with Diana beside her.

"Not very much," said Diana still quietly, "But I do have some favorites, like The Secret Garden and Black Beauty. Mother said reading is a complete waste of time, but…I always sneaked some books from the library into my room and read them late into the night."

At the thought of her mother, Diana looked as if she was going to cry again, so Lily quickly said, "Well, read as much as you want here. I myself am partial to reading and anyone in this house would tell you that most the day, I'll be found in the library pouring over books. And, if you want, you can take that book you were reading to your room and finish it."

"Thank you," Diana sniffled, wiping at her eyes

Just as everyone sat down at the food laden table in the dining room, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Anne volunteered, getting up and hurrying to the door. A few seconds later, they heard, "Uncle Sirius!"

Both Sirius and Anne entered the room, and James said, "How're you doing, Padfoot?"

"I'll be doing just fine after I have some of Silly Lily's wonderful food!" he said with a bark like laugh. Lily smacked him on the head and he omitted an, "Ow!"

Silly Lily had been one the many stupid nicknames Sirius had bestowed on Lily back in the old Hogwarts days and it had been Lily's least favorite, so Sirius had stuck to it.

"You will have nothing if you call me that again, Sirius Black!" she said, her eyes flaring but having a secret twinkle behind them.

"Women," muttered Sirius, taking a seat next to Harry. "So who're _they_?" he asked, jabbing a finger towards the Dursley children's direction. James gave him a fleeting look that said, "I'll tell you later."

"This is Sirius Black, our very close family friend," explained James to Dudley and Diana, who nodded mutely.

"Nice…nice to…to meet you," stammered Diana, who was very shy of strangers. Sirius gave the two children strange looks but started eating nonetheless.

"This is great Lils!" he commented, "But you cooked enough to feed an army!"

Lily blushed, "It was nothing," she said, "After all, it is Dudley and Diana's first evening here." Diana gave her aunt a small smile as thanks, but Dudley didn't say anything nor even looked at her. Lily inwardly sighed again. Yup, it would definitely take a long time breaking Dudley's tough guy exterior, a very long time.

"Did you hear from Remus lately?" James asked Sirius an hour later, after the kids had gone to various places around the house before their bedtime.

"Nope," replied Sirius, licking the remains of his chocolate fudge sundae of the bowl. "But we probably will soon. It's only been a week since his last letter."

Remus, who owned a small bookstore in Hogsmeade called Lupin Exports, didn't make much money from his business, except enough to live off of comfortably. He lived in a small one bedroom flat on top of his store and it was very rare for him to have a vacation. Two weeks ago though, his name had been drawn in a Daily Prophet lottery for 1,000 galleons. Remus, who had been entering for five years, had been so ecstatic that there wasn't much convincing done on the part of his friends before he had bought a ticket to travel Europe. Remus was now due back in another two weeks.

That night at 9:30, after Lily made sure all her children were asleep, she tiptoed to Dudley's room and knocked on the door. No sound came. She knocked again before opening the door slowly.

"Dudley?" she called out, "I know you're awake darling, I heard you moving around just seconds ago."

Dudley didn't make a noise and continued pretending to sleep. Lily sighed before continuing. "Dudley, I know it's hard on you. The lifestyle you were so used to is being abruptly changed, and you can't control anything. I…I know how it feels, as I had a similar but very different experience when I was younger. And I know I can never replace the love your parents once bestowed on you; no one can, but can't you accept that I love you and Diana just as much as I love Harry, Anne, Will, and Emma?"

Dudley still didn't make a noise, and it was a discouraged Lily that closed the door and walked down to Diana's room. Diana was still up, staring at the ceiling in the dark, her eyes holding the traces of sorrow only a young child of eight who already experienced unhappiness could.

"Diana sweetheart, you're still awake," Lily commented, walking into the room and sitting down on the bed next to the young love starved child.

"Aunt Lily," Diana began, reaching her hand out to Lily's and grasping it for comfort, "Can you…can you tell me a bedtime story, please?"

Lily was surprised, but replied, "Of course, what about?"

"Could you tell me a story…about my mother, when she was young, _please_?" pleaded Diana, her tearless eyes on Lily's. Lily stared at Diana for awhile, but finally began, "I was five, and Petunia was eight. One day, our parents, Will and Audrey Evans, took us to the beach…"

Lily told four stories about Petunia and herself, back in her happy childhood when Petunia had been a good kind older sister, who protected and loved Lily without the traces of dislike which had overtaken her later on. When she finished, Diana was silent. Finally, she asked, "Do you…do you regret getting your Hogwarts letter…Aunt Lily?"

"No," said Lily without hesitation.

"But…but you lost your sister's love, didn't you?" questioned Diana, quite confused.

"Yes, but sweetheart, you have to understand that in every person's life, there comes a time when you are tested, tested on your love, courage, and ability to live up to your beliefs. Petunia's time of test came when I got my letter. And, I'm sorry to say that she failed. Can you tell me why?"

Diana thought for a long time before answering, "She…she should have still loved you, no matter what, right? She should have stuck by you and gave you her support no matter what kind of person you were."

"Correct," said Lily, with a wistful smile. "Petunia failed as a sister, because it is a sibling's duty to stand up for their sibling(s) and love them for eternity. As the years passed, I got used to Petunia's treatment, but I still can't believe she treated you and your brother like that. A sister is one thing, but one's own child? I…just can't comprehend it. If any of my children had been squibs, my love for them would never have grown one ounce less, so how could Petunia…"

"Anyway, I don't think I'll ever understand, so it's better for you to go to sleep before dawn breaks out…why, Diana! You didn't change! Where are your pajamas?" asked Lily with surprise, staring at Diana's yellow dress, which she had worn since morning.

Diana looked down in shame and said quietly, "Mother told us to pack everything we wanted in one duffel bag…and I had ever so many things I wanted to bring with me, things that were special, so I…didn't…"

"You poor dear! You didn't bring any clothes?" Lily asked sadly, her anger at Petunia rising every moment, "Not to worry, you just wait here."

Lily quickly walked out of the room and into Anne's, where she quietly riffled through her drawers and picked out one of Anne's cotton pajamas. Hurrying back into Diana's, Lily handed the blue pajamas to her and said, "We're going shopping tomorrow. Until then, wear these, alright? Good night, and sweet dreams!"

"Thank you…so much, Aunt Lily," Diana told her with tears in her eyes, "Especially for taking us in. Thank you so much…"


	9. A Good Day Gone Bad

A.N. (All the answers I received for the contest are so far really good! Keep it up guys, and soon I won't know who to choose :)

**Chapter eight: A good day gone bad **

After a breakfast of bacon and pancakes the next morning, Lily pulled James aside and asked, "James dear, could you take Dudley shopping for clothes today? I'm taking Diana, and…I don't think Dudley would want to tag along with us girls."

"Me? You want _me_ to go _shopping_?" James asked Lily incredulously, "Oh come on, Lily, you know I can't shop to save my life."

"I know," sighed Lily, "But, I feel as if Dudley will open up more to you than me. I have an idea! Why don't you take Harry and Will along with you and I'll take Anne and Emma along with me? Then it will be like a fun day of shopping for both groups!"

"Hmm…I don't know," said James reluctantly, "Dudley doesn't seem very…sociable."

"Of course not!" said Lily exasperatedly, "Would you be if your parents disowned you? Diana's the kind of girl who _wants_ to feel loved again, which is probably why she's so easy to get along with, but Dudley…being the first child, I have a feeling he was very spoiled by Petunia and Vernon, and the sudden change in atmosphere probably shook him up more than he bargained for. James, we have to break Dudley's tough exterior, because I know that inside, he's just as love starved as Diana is!"

"Oh, fine Lily," James finally conceded, "But I'm only doing it for you."

"Good to know!" Lily laughed, before making her way up to the third floor to talk to Diana.

Diana Dursley was currently employed with making her bed, a skill she had learned by herself at age five. That morning, after she had taken a shower, she had put on the same yellow dress she had worn the day before, and threw the worn pajamas into the laundry basket in her bathroom. Just as she was worrying about what she would wear the next day, her aunt appeared in the doorway and said cheerfully, "Come on, Diana!"

"Where?" asked Diana, looking up with surprise.

"Shopping!" exclaimed Lily, with as much enthusiasm as a young girl.

"Shopping?" asked Diana confused.

"Yup," Lily continued, "We're going to buy a whole new wardrobe for you!"

"Me? But…but I don't have any money, except for my 25 pounds allowance," said Diana, very flustered.

Lily laughed. "Who ever said you're paying for yourself, silly! Naturally, now that you're in our care, your Uncle James and I are going to pay for all your necessities."

"Oh, I couldn't...make you pay for everything," whispered Diana, blushing.

"In that case, what are you going to do?" Lily questioned with amusement, "Wear that yellow dress forever?"

"No…" said Diana uncertainly.

"Well, come on then!" Lily exclaimed, taking Diana by the hand and leading her downstairs. "Anne and Emma are coming with us too, so it will be a girls' day out! First, we'll all shop for clothes since the new school year is going to start in a few weeks, then take a lunch break somewhere, and then…we'll shop for school supplies before having ice cream and coming back home!"

Diana smiled slightly. The excursion did sound fun, and after the past four days, she needed something to take her mind off her parents and her old life.

"Okay," she said with a little smile on her face. Lily looked warmly at her and Diana smiled back.

"Hey Dudley," greeted James, leaning on Dudley's doorway. Dudley was lying in bed with a comic book (which had been one of the things he had brought with him), and didn't bother looking up.

"Hey," he mumbled, his eyes not leaving the book for one moment. James walked in. "Harry, Will, and I are going shopping for clothes, and I want you to come along."

"I don't want to come," said Dudley.

"_I_ want you to," replied James, stressing I to imply that this was an end to the argument.

"I already have clothes," said Dudley, angry with his uncle for making him talk in sentences instead of words like he had been doing.

James glanced at the two pairs of outfits that were thrown on the floor. "Yes, I see, and I bet those will last you a whole year, huh?"

Dudley glared at his uncle. "I don't need you to spend anything on me. I have my own money."

"Okay," shrugged James, who knew from Lily that Dudley only had five pounds in allowance (he didn't save money like Diana), "I'm sure five pounds will be enough to buy a whole wardrobe _and_ school supplies, so let's go!"

"I'm not going to school," said Dudley, still not getting up from the bed.

"Yes you are," said James, walking out of the room, "And you're also coming with us, so…I'll see you downstairs in five minutes!" With that, he disappeared around the corner, leaving an infuriated Dudley behind.

For Dudley, it was easy to be defiant with Aunt Lily, because she was annoyingly sweet all the time and her pleading tone, which got on his nerves, was easy to ignore. But Uncle James on the other hand, Dudley couldn't say no to him, because that would be arguing, which in turn would be talking more than necessary. Grumbling, he got out of bed, jabbed the five pound note into his pocket, and strode downstairs with his head held high. At least he would go in dignity.

When he reached the front hall, Will exclaimed, "Yay! You're coming with us!" and James, who had a satisfied smile on his face, said, "Would you like to travel by floo powder or use the car?"

"I would _like_ to travel the _normal_ way," stressed Dudley. Will looked confused.

"The normal way? Then you mean, floo powder!" he exclaimed.

"No Will, he means the car," corrected Harry, "For muggles, the normal way to travel is by car, but as Dudley isn't a muggle anymore…"

Before Dudley changed his mind about going, James quickly said, "We'll use the car. Come on, guys!"

"But daddy, the car is so slow!" whined Will before James quieted him with a look.

"Mummy, where are we going?" asked Emma, holing tightly onto Lily's hand as they crossed the streets of London.

"We're going to this muggle clothing shop called Leanne's Designs," replied Lily, looked up and down the traffic filled road as she held Emma's hand with one hand, and Diana's with another, while Anne clasped Diana's hand.

"Why are we shopping for muggle clothes?" asked Emma.

"Well, Diana needs some, and so do we. It's never wrong to have a few handy," answered Lily.

"Is Diana going to get robes after that?" asked Anne.

"Of course!" said Lily, "And I know just the place for those too."

The four of them had side-long apparated to London with Lily, and for Diana, it was a totally new experience which she secretly liked, although Anne and Emma seemed to hate it. "Apparition is so much easier than going by car," Diana thought to herself, "although it does feel weird."

Two minutes later, the small group found Leanne's Designs and entered the air-conditioned spacious designer store. Leanne Greenwood, the owner, came up to them and asked kindly, "How may I help you?"

Lily gently pushed Diana to the front and said, "She needs a whole new wardrobe, starting from undergarments."

"Of course!" Leanne happily exclaimed, taking the group over to one of the corners filled with racks of clothes, "Here, we have all the latest garments that just came out in the market. Feel free to try them on in the dressing room right over there!"

"Thank you," Lily replied, while flipping through various shirts, pants, and skirts. For an hour, Diana shyly tried on all the cute outfits Lily chose for her, and when she admitted she liked them, Lily put them in the ever growing cart. Finally, after she was satisfied with Diana's new wardrobe, Lily bought five pairs each for Anne and Emma.

The total price, 3,683.24 £ (7,000), made Diana's eyes go round with wonder and embarrassment. "You spent, so…so much on me," she said regretfully.

Lily gave her a hug. "It's not a big deal, sweetheart. You're one of my daughters now, aren't you?"

Before apparating, Lily took them to an abandoned alley and summoned Ruby, one of the Potters' house elves. Giving her the 15 shopping bags, she said, "Please leave these in the living room, Ruby." Ruby disappeared with a pop, and after grabbing hold of the three children, Lily apparated to Hogsmeade.

"This is a 100 magical village, just outside of Hogwarts, the magical school you'll be going to in 3 years," Lily explained to Diana. Diana stared around at her surroundings with wonder. "Magic sure is fascinating", she thought as she glanced at the shops they were passing. Lily took the kids to Serena's robes for all occasions. Inside the shop, a 28 year old Japanese woman turned around and exclaimed, "Lily! Finally, you came to see me after what…five months?"

"Sorry, Serena," apologized Lily, "I was…"

"Don't you dare say busy!" said Serena with a shake of her finger. Serena, or better known to outsiders as Mrs. Serenity Selene Masami (nee Takahashi), was one of Lily's four best friends at Hogwarts, and had gone on a big seven month trip to Japan last year. She had come back five months ago and Lily hadn't found time to see her at all.

"Sorry," repeated Lily meekly, but Serena just laughed.

"I'll forgive you," she said, "If you splurge in my shop."

"I was going to," laughed Lily. Quickly, she explained about Diana and Dudley, and then finished, "I need you to find her some robes, and then some for Anne and Ems too."

"Sure thing!" Serena said with a smile, measuring Diana. While she worked, Lily and she talked animatedly about their home lives. Serena's two daughters, seven year old Hikari and three year old Akiko, were as mischievous as ever, and had loved Japan, although they were now ready for school.

Soon, Diana had five brand new robes of different colors: pink, blue, green, purple, and yellow. Anne and Emma each got two new ones: cream colored and sky blue for Anne and orange and magenta for Emma. Lily bought one royal blue robe for herself. After paying for their purchases (25 galleons), Lily took the girls to McDonalds, which was back in London again.

James sighed with frustration. The day had so far not gone well, what with Dudley's moody behavior, Will's constant talkativeness, and Harry…who had done nothing really except stop for long moments to stare at something that looked cool and then got lost. Thankfully, the clothes shopping was done, and was surprisingly not that difficult, because Dudley, who was intent on talking as little as possible, agreed with all of James's choices with a plain, "Yes," or "Sure".

The robes shopping on the other hand had been very difficult. Dudley had made sneering comments about the weird freak clothing he had to wear, and it took a lot of self-control on the part of James not to remark that, no offense, but Dudley was now a "freak" too.

The group stopped for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and even Dudley had to admit that the food was good. Before going to London to shop for school supplies though, Harry insisted they stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies for just a _teensy weensy_ moment, which turned out to become an hour. In the store, while Harry and Will started arguing over the best broom, and Dudley stood awkwardly in the background, James picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet which was lying nearby and swore loudly, causing lots of people to look at him.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking back down at the paper which sent splurges of anger through his veins. Plastered over the top of the paper in big black letters was: **First Breakout in Azkaban! Death Eater Peter Pettigrew, notorious for his betrayal of the Potters to the Dark Lord, escaped out of his cell last night! A 500,000 galleon prize is awarded to anyone who can supply important information about him!**

"Damn rat," James muttered, throwing the paper back on the counter and calling out to the kids, "We have to go home, now!"

"But dad…"

"I said _now_!"


	10. Scabbers

Chapter Nine:

**Chapter Nine: Scabbers **

Five days later

The past five days had been very hectic in the Potter Household, unfortunately leaving no time for James and Lily to bond with the Dursley children. Diana was alright, and cried less and less everyday. The memory of her parents' betrayal was still freshly imbedded in her mind, and the pain was no lesser than at first, but she told herself that she could do nothing to change the past, and that fortunately for her, her loving Aunt and Uncle took her brother and her in, or else they probably would have been thrown in the orphanage. What would have become of them then? Why didn't Dudley understand that it was their good fortune to be adopted by the Potters? Why was he so bitter to them? Diana couldn't comprehend how her brother felt the Potters, especially Aunt Lily, was the reason Petunia had thrown them out. Diana's reasoning was that although her Aunt Lily was blood related to her mother, she was the only witch in the family, meaning that Petunia didn't have any magical blood. Unless one of her father's family members was magical, there was no way the children could have been magical, unless they were like all other muggle-borns: purely coincidental about their magical blood. Why couldn't Dudley understand that? And even _if_ it was because of Aunt Lily that they were magical, it still meant that their parents never really loved them, because if they truly did, they wouldn't have disowned their children.

Anyway, why was the Potter household hectic for the past five days? It was due to the simple fact that the nasty traitor of the Potters, Peter Pettigrew, had escaped from Azkaban Prison, where Dementors, the most feared magical monsters, guarded it. Also, Pettigrew had been in the most secured prison in all of Azkaban. How had he escaped? How had he managed it? It was a mystery to everyone, and created feelings of fear, anger, and terror among the people of the Wizarding world. As for the Potters, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, they were the most angered of all. That stupid useless rat who had once been one of their bestest friends, had not only betrayed them and nearly got them killed, but had the guts to escape from Azkaban.

"When I catch that nasty rat, he will wish he had never been born," growled Sirius, punching the glass coffee table with his fist. It shattered into pieces and with a sigh, Sirius said, "Reparo," restoring the coffee table back to its original look.

James didn't say anything. He hadn't said much since he had hurriedly apparated home with the kids five days ago. Rubbing his temple, he said with frustration, "I just don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" asked Remus. He had come home two days ago right after he had heard the news.

"Why did he escape? I know, I know, that's a stupid question. Anyone one would want to escape from Azkaban, but Peter's case is different. Inside of Azkaban, he's in danger from the Dementors, but in the outside world, he's in danger from us," remarked James, "Do we go into hiding again?"

"Hiding?" Sirius questioned with a dismayed look, "Not again!" Sirius still remembered that night eight years ago. If he hadn't gone in time…no, he didn't want to think about that again.

"Sirius, what else do we do? We don't know Wormtail's intentions. He was Voldemort's right hand man before, and if Dumbledore's suggestion that Voldemort isn't really dead, but a spirit lost somewhere, then maybe Wormtail wants to somehow find him and bring him back alive and to power, so that Voldy Moldy rewards him or something," suggested James bitterly.

"Hmm, you could be right. Or…I have another theory," said Remus with a thoughtful look.

"What is it?" asked Sirius.

"Wormtail's animagus is a rat," started Remus.

"Yes, we know, smart guy," said James sarcastically. Remus threw a cushion at him and continued.

"Well, how easy would it be to pose as a pet for someone?" said Remus with an unusual look on his face.

James and Sirius took a sharp breath and started throwing the worst curses they could think of about Pettigrew. Remus shushed them.

"You guys, the children still aren't in bed. If Lily heard you cursing, she would skin you guys alive," he said somewhat amusedly.

James sighed again. "Great! Just Great! If Wormtail took either of the paths we just talked about, it will be extremely impossible to find him."

"Nevertheless," said Sirius, "I am not letting that poor excuse of a rat go that easy. I will do anything I can to find him. Remember, my animagus is a dog. I too can pose as a pet sometimes, and I'm going to use that as an advantage! Mark my words, James, as long as I'm alive, nothing will happen to you, Lily, or the children! I promise you!"

"Same here," said Remus with an angry look that brought out the fearful wolfish features in him. "Wormtail will pay for what he did; I _will_ make sure of that!"

"Thanks guys," said James, deeply touched, "But don't exclude me. Together, we will catch Wormtail and give him the punishment the Wizengamot forgot to do!"

Then, the three friends did something they hadn't done since their seventh year at Hogwarts, something very childish but memorable. They put their hands in the middle and cried out, "The Marauders…forever!"

They heard a giggle coming from the doorway. It was Lily, in a comfy house robe, and she smile tiredly at them. "I haven't heard that since we graduated."

"Are the kids in bed?" asked James, as she settled herself next to him on the couch.

"Everyone except Dudley," she replied.

"That kid is a handful," Sirius remarked, "I don't know how you guys are going to change him. I really don't. I would have lost my temper long ago."

"I heard James already did, in Diagon Alley," said Lily, looking at James with a frown on her face.

"Lily, the kid was driving me nuts! You have no idea how it feels…having to put up with him for a whole day!" exclaimed James, defending himself.

"Oh James, it takes patience, extreme patience, to win a child's heart, you know that. For heaven's sake, we raised four kids!" said a very exasperated Lily.

"None of our kids were ever like that," said James with a stubborn frown, "Lily, we grounded all of our kids together, five times! Not counting Will."

"I know, I know, but they weren't spoiled like Dudley. It will take a lot of time to undo the damage Petunia and Vernon did, but I know we can do it. I mean, Diana's already won over."

"Diana was never a trouble," James pointed out.

The next day

A 13 year old child, with flaming red hair and freckles all over his face, settled himself under a tree and began to read. Before he opened his book though, he looked at his 11 year old twin brothers, who were playing Quidditch in the yard, with disapproval. "They will be better off employing their time reading," thought Percy Weasley rather pompously, adjusting his reading glasses, which were slipping onto his nose. Just then, a little fat creature with one missing toe, known as a rat to human kind, scurried up to the unknowing boy and sat down next to him, staring at him with big contemplating eyes.

After awhile, Percy Weasley finally noticed the creature and when he saw it, said with concern, "Why, you are injured. Where is your toe?" The creature made a little noise that sounded like it was crying and Percy, whose heart went out to the fat rat, scooped him up and walked inside the house to the kitchen, where his 8 year old baby sister, Ginny, was munching on a muffin, and his mother, Molly, was cleaning up the remains of breakfast.

"Mother, look what I have found," said Percy stiffly. He always talked stiffly. It was just his way. Molly Weasley turned around and gave a startled yelp when she saw the fat rat.

"Percy dear, what in the world is _that_?" she asked, backing away.

"I found it outside. Oh mother, mayn't I keep it? I promise I will take good care of it," begged Percy.

"Oh…Percy, Percy, I…I can't let you keep… a _rat_ of all things," said Molly nervously, staring at the fat creature with revulsion.

"Please mother, I _guarantee_ you, I will take care of all its expenses myself. I shall never ask you or father for any help. I solemnly promise," begged Percy.

"Oh…alright then," said Molly, who couldn't refuse Percy anything, "But…take it to your room and put it in a cage, please."

"Certainly," said Percy, happily taking his new pet upstairs. He put it in an old cage which had once held his pet hamster, which had died.

"I will name you…Scabbers," said Percy, looking at the rat through his cage. When he went to sleep that night, little did Percy know that he was giving home to one of the most feared and hated killer of the Wizarding World. That night, Scabbers slept peacefully for the first time since eight years, a wicked and self satisfied smile on his face.


	11. Another Author's Note

Another Author's Note

**Another Author's Note**

Thank you to all of you who have been faithful to my story and participated in the contest! To everyone else, well…Hi!

I am happy to announce that Mr./Mrs./Ms. Vukk has won my contest. He/she has gotten all the answers right, and therefore will choose the name of the muggle school the children will go to and _also_ the name of Dudley's school enemy. I have emailed Mr./Mrs./Ms. Vukk, telling him/her that he/she has won, and am currently waiting for their reply. However, I do have a story to write, and need a reply fast. So, the deadline for Mr./Mrs./Ms. Vukk to give me the names is August 18, 2008, which is a Monday. So hopefully, I will get the names fast, and if not, the second place winner, Mr./Mrs./Ms. SwiftShadow, who got 4/5 riddles right, will choose the names.

Thank you to all those who tried their best in the riddles. I really appreciate it! I will try my best to post another chapter soon…

Crystaltokyo9849


	12. No one grounds Dudley Dursley!

Chapter Ten:

A.N. (So…I did not get a response from Vukk, but I did get one from SwiftShadow, so I'm using the names she gave: Mike Akranos and Oakvale Primary School. By the way, the credit for those names goes to her. Thank you, SwiftShadow…)

**Chapter Ten: No one grounds Dudley Dursley!**

The month of July soon turned into August, without any trace of Peter Pettigrew. The past month, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the ministry had been in chaos, sending people out to find Pettigrew, trying to set things back to order, and answering howlers sent to them by angry parents. They weren't the only ones receiving howlers. The new Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge (who had been elected in a year ago), was at his hair's end opening at least ten howlers every morning and trying to make up excuses for Pettigrew's escape. James, who was the head of the Auror's Office, often spent whole nights in his bureau checking letters sent to Fudge, to see whether or not they held any nasty curses or hexes (most of which did).

However, things did have to go on in life, and as the month of August came to an end, Lily took Harry, Anne, Will, Emma, Dudley, and Diana to Oakvale Primary, to be enrolled for the coming year. For Emma and Will, this was going to be their first year in a muggle school, although they were already six. You see, unlike us muggles, 92 of wizards are home schooled the basics of education, because many pureblood and half-blood parents don't believe in sending their kids to school, since they will be going to Hogwarts in the future and don't really need a muggle education. However, when Harry had been born nine years ago, when James had casually remarked who to choose to be Harry's future home-school teacher, Lily had put her foot down and strongly said that Harry and any future children would be going to a muggle school until they got their Hogwarts letter. It would be a good experience before Hogwarts. And…just what if any of their children turned out to be squibs?

"I never went to a muggle school when I was young, and I turned out just fine," James had remarked.

"You didn't know what a telephone was until fourth year, and even then, you called it a 'fellytone'!" Lily had argued back.

"You don't need to know about a telephone to succeed in life, Lils!" James had stated, rolling his eyes. Lily, who had just give birth to Harry a month ago, and so therefore was prone to emotional outbursts, had burst into tears and exclaimed how James probably thought her and her childhood useless, because she had gone to a _muggle_ school before Hogwarts. It had taken James exactly three hours to assure her that he most definitely did _not_ think her _or _her childhood useless. In the end, he had finally given in and agreed to send Harry and any other future children to a muggle school, but only at the age of six and no sooner.

"Year 1 is a waste of time," James had said. Even Lily had agreed that what was taught in that class could easily be taught at home.

So now, Lily, along with the six children, got into the blue Mercedes Benz and drove the six miles to the village of Oakvale, which was a neighboring town to Godric's Hollow. Harry and Anne had gone to Oakvale Primary School for three years, and liked it, although they did get in trouble when they did "strange" things, which Lily and James had to explain away as "magic tricks" they had learned at home. For the coming school year, Harry and Dudley would be in their Year 5, Anne and Diana in Year 4, and Will and Emma in Year 2.

Mrs. Maywood, the headmistress of Oakvale Primary, was a very nice middle-aged lady who had been head of the school for 15 years. She led Lily into her office and said, "How was your vacation, Mrs. Potter? I hope it was well."

"Very well, thank you," said Lily politely, "Along with Harry and Anne, I want to enroll my two youngest children and my niece and nephew this year."

"Of course," said Mrs. Maywood, beckoning Lily to take a seat in front of her desk. "Are you the permanent guardian of…"

"Dudley and Diana Dursley," said Lily, "And yes, James and I are their permanent guardians."

"Very well then, I'll just give you these papers to fill out, and when you're done, you can pick up their uniforms."

While Lily worked on the forms, the kids chattered together in the spacious office. Anne, sensing Diana's nervousness, took her under her wing and talked about her friends and how Diana would fit in instantly. "This school's awesome!" she exclaimed, "The teachers are all so nice, and during lunch time, we're allowed to eat outside if we want to."

Soon, Diana's nervousness abated and she shyly told Anne about her old school and her old friends, whom she would miss terribly.

Meanwhile, Harry, who thought back to the day in Diagon Alley, tried to lessen Dudley's cold exterior.

"So, do you play football?" he asked.

"No," replied Dudley.

"Who were your friends back…you know, uh…ho, I mean, Privet Drive?" asked Harry, who had almost said home. His parents had told him and his siblings never to refer to Privet Drive as the Dursley children's' home, because it would only make it harder for them to view the Potter Manor as home.

"Piers Polkiss," said Dudley hesitantly, wondering whether to continue or not. "And Dennis Malcolm, and Gordon MacDermot."

"That's nice…" said Harry, as he didn't know any of these people. When he looked over at Dudley, he was surprised to see him looking very miserable and…helpless. Ever since Dudley had come to the Potter Manor, he had looked angry or intimidating, but never _sad_. Of course, Harry knew he was probably sad inside, but it didn't seem as if Dudley was the kind of person to show such sensitive feelings, and all of a sudden, he looked as if he was about to burst into tears any moment.

"Uh, Dudley?" called Harry slowly, "Are you alright?"

"What?" snapped Dudley, quickly brushing away the tears that were about to fall. He was livid that Harry had seen them. "I'm fine! Mind your own business!"

"Fine then!" said Harry angrily, "It's not wrong to show your feelings around others, Dudley, especially those you're going to live with, and I'm sick and tired of your attitude and also trying to be nice to you!"

"I never asked you to be nice to me! Why don't you all just leave me alone!" snapped Dudley, so loud this time that Mrs. Maywood, Lily, and the rest of the children looked up in surprise. Mrs. Maywood emitted a small, "Oh my!"

Turning red, Lily said politely, "I'm sorry, uh…children, why don't you all wait outside for me!" The six kids opened the door and sat on the benches outside of the office. Dudley, who was the last one out, slammed the door shut, and Mrs. Maywood looked surprised again. A flushed Lily quietly explained to her about Dudley and Diana's parents, obviously leaving out the part about their magical powers.

"That's why James and I are their guardians now," finished Lily, "And we would really appreciate it, Mrs. Maywood, if you will pardon Dudley's behavior today, and when the school year starts. Diana's an angel. It's like she was born already grown up, but Dudley will be a handful. I have a feeling he's quite a good person inside, but until that good personality comes out…"

"Don't you worry a bit, Mrs. Potter, we'll try our best to make Dudley feel comfortable while he's here. Perhaps being around more children his age will make a difference," said Mrs. Maywood kindly.

"I hope," said Lily, quickly finishing filling out the forms and then turning them in to Mrs. Maywood.

Outside of the office, Lily led the kids to the back of the school, where the uniforms were sold. For boys, it was long grey or black trousers and shorts, white button down shirt, dark green jumper or sweater, and shiny black shoes. For girls, it was the same thing, except they could wear the school skirts or dresses if they wanted. After 45 min, Lily paid the lady and took the children home, where she talked to Dudley about his behavior that day. Of course, Dudley tuned out her long lecture, thinking that since his mother, Petunia, had never scolded him before, and he had turned out "alright", Aunt Lily's lectures were of no importance to him.

"Dudley, did you listen to one thing I said?" she asked, quite irritated now.

"Yea whatever," replied Dudley, with an "I don't care" expression.

Lily, worn out from both his behavior and the trip to Oakvale, had to ground him for his behavior, because she knew that it would take both love _and_ a strict manner to change Dudley.

"You will eat your dinner up here today. Mindy will bring it," said Lily. Dudley shrugged. He didn't care, since he didn't like eating with everyone else anyway. "And," continued Lily, "You will not be allowed to read your comics for two days." Saying so, Lily waved her wand, exclaiming, "Accio Comic Books!" and Dudley's treasured comic books flew to her outstretched hand.

"That's not fair!" exclaimed Dudley with outrage. "Those are _mine_, and you have no right to take them! Give them back!"

"As you are under our guardianship, I do have the right," said Lily calmly, "And as I have said already, you will get them back after two days." Saying so, Lily walked out of the room, but not before remarking casually, "and don't try to look for them. They _will_ be hidden by magic."

Outside of the room, she sighed. Lily felt terrible for grounding Dudley, as she hated grounding anyone. Even her own children were rarely grounded, unless of course, they were extremely disobedient. But in this case, Dudley needed grounding, or else he would never learn to be respectful in public. Petunia probably never gave out punishments to her children, deduced Lily, reprimanding Petunia under her breath. What a terrible mother!

Meanwhile, Dudley, swearing at his aunt terribly under his breath, kicked the door in anger, which of course gave his toe pain. Now he was more than certain that his aunt and uncle hated him. I mean, who grounded children just because they misbehaved? His mother had always told their neighbors that being strict with children and restricting them from what they wanted was not good for their growth. That's why she was always extremely lenient with her kids. Now, all of a sudden, Aunt Lily had just grounded him, and expected him to be a good little boy after that? No way! Now, more than ever, Dudley was going to be bad, and he was going to show the Potters and their stupid _angelic_ kids just what being a Dursley meant, and his cowardly sister could be all _saintly_ if she wanted!

"I hate it here!" Dudley shouted out loud, "I hate this stupid place!" Yelling so, he flung himself on his bed and cried his heart out. He wanted to be back home, his _real_ home, where his parents loved him, because of course, they did, didn't they? How could they _not_ love him? It just wasn't possible. Maybe, now that they had been separated from their children for nearly two months, they missed them and loved them again.

"That's it," thought Dudley suddenly, "Mum and Dad probably want us back, but they don't know how to get here. I'll just find a way to go back home myself, and everything will be like it was before. They love me. I know they do. They just _have_ to. I'm their first born child. They love me…don't they?"


	13. The Knight Bus

**Chapter 11: The Knight Bus**

That evening, two hours before dinner time, Dudley figured out it was time to work out his plan. He knew that his Uncle James wouldn't come home for another hour, Aunt Lily had gone to visit Mrs. Bathilda Bagshot, a very old lady who lived a few houses away, and wouldn't be home for another half-hour, Harry and Anne were visiting some friends and would be back in twenty minutes, Will and Emma were in Sirius's house, and Diana was in the library, immersed in a book. Dudley would have shared his plan with Diana, but he knew somehow that she would disapprove of it and might even tell Aunt Lily about it. Diana was so sickeningly friendly with the Potters, and seemed to love them already. Dudley was angry with her for betraying their parents' love already, so if she wanted to forget them, it would be just fine with him! He didn't care!

This kind of opportunity wouldn't come again, thought Dudley, quietly checking the third floor hallway before stepping out of his bedroom. None of the family might be here, but there _were_ 100 house elves to contend with. After making sure the coast was clear, Dudley quietly but quickly went down the stairs to the second floor, where he had to cross the hallway again before going to the ground floor. As he passed the master bedroom, which was the only room with an open door, he quickly glanced in and then stopped in his tracks. There, on the bed, in plain sight, was a long but small opened box, with a wand in it. His attention diverted, Dudley went in and saw a letter next to the box.

_Dear Mr. Potter, _

_As Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has requested, we have sent you Mr. Peter Pettigrew's wand, which as you know was taken from him when he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. The Minister of Magic wants you to put a trace on it, so that it may tell us where he's hiding. He wants it done by next week. Good day to you…_

_Natalia Statesworth_

_Senior Undersecretary to the Minister_

Dudley didn't understand most of the words in the letter, but it did tell him that this wand was very important, and taking it away would mean lots of trouble for his uncle in his office…

A smirk forming on his face at the thought of his uncle's reaction, Dudley snatched the wand and left the room quickly. In two minutes, he was by the front door and more nervous than ever. Threading as quietly as he could, Dudley very slowly opened the door and when no house elf appeared, quickly went outside and closed the door behind him.

Dudley then ran faster than he ever did in his life. Without looking back to see if anyone was following, he ran down the very long driveway and out the front gate. For one whole block, Dudley ran, but after awhile, he had to stop, as he was out of breath and felt like collapsing from all that running. Throwing himself down on the sidewalk, Dudley looked to see if anyone was following him, but no one was. Relieved and waiting five more minutes to catch his breath, Dudley slowly stood up and started running again, this time a bit slower. But now he was confused and scared. By car, his home was three hours away, so by foot, it was unimaginable to reach Privet Drive that night. Also, he had no clue in which direction to go, and who to ask for help. Finally, 30 minutes later, when an intersection came, Dudley had to stop. Which way should he go? Quite distressed and very scared, Dudley knew he had to make a fast decision. Aunt Lily and the kids would be home by now, and it was only a matter of time before Uncle James would, but which way should he go.

Grabbing the wand out of his pocket, Dudley looked at it. He was a freak anyway; maybe he could give it a wave and he would be home. Dudley waved the wand around foolishly, muttering, "Abra Cadabra!" but nothing happened, except the wand vibrating a little and dying down. Sighing, Dudley took a step back, wand in his had, but he tripped over a rock and fell backward. All of a sudden, there was a large BOOM and a purple triple decked bus appeared out of nowhere, stopping quite rashly in front of Dudley and opening its doors. Dudley, his mouth wide open, read The Knight Bus plastered in big letters across the windshield.

A young man who wore a purple uniform, had large protruding ears and quite a few pimples, appeared in the doorway. He looked about 14 years old.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening," the young man said proudly. Being the conductor of the Knight Bus was probably his first job.

"So…where you have t'go?" he asked, looking at Dudley, who was still gaping. Quickly shutting his mouth, Dudley deduced that this was another magical transportation, and would sure come in handy for him. Quickly putting on an intelligent look, he said confidently, "#4 Privet Drive, it's in Surrey!"

"Hear that, Ern?" Stan cackled, "It's in Surrey!" The bus driver, someone named Ernie Prang, laughed along with him, although Dudley didn't get what the joke was. Suddenly, he was a little creeped out by the two strange people. Were all freaks like this?

"Uh, how much is the ride?" asked Dudley.

"Eleven Sickles," said Stan, "but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush in the colour of your choice."

"Uh…I have five pounds," stammered Dudley, who had no clue what Stan was talking about.

"One pound'l do," said Stan as an answer, "But what is a wizard lyke you doin' with muggle money? It's useful t'carry our own money, man!"

"Sorry, I forgot it at home," Dudley quickly lied. After paying Stan one pound, he quickly got on the Knight Bus.

There were no seats; instead, half-a-dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-panelled walls. A tiny wizard in a nightcap at the rear of the bus muttered, "Not now, thanks, I'm pickling some slugs," and rolled over in his sleep. **A.N. (This excerpt **_**and**_** Stan's speech was taken from J.K. Rowling's PoA, so just to let you know, I don't own it.)**

"You 'ave this one," Stan whispered, and then said, ""Take 'er away, Ern," sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's.

There was another tremendous BANG, and next, Dudley found himself flat on his bed, thrown backwards by the speed of the Knight Bus. "I hate magic," he thought to himself again, although the Knight Bus did just save him. As the evening progressed, it rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and bollards, telephone boxes and trees, and Dudley sat on his bed, restless and nervous. Soon, one by one, wizards and witches in dressing-gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go. "I don't wonder why," thought Dudley to himself, hoping his stop would be next.

**A.N. (The excerpt ends here. Yes, I know, I added and changed a few things and names in between, but it's still not mine, as J.K. Rowling wrote it first.)**

One hour after Dudley boarded the Knight Bus, they arrived at Surrey. As the Knight Bus drove crazily into Privet Drive, Dudley's stomach fluttered with nostalgia, and his face broke into the first smile since two months. Oh, how he missed Privet Drive! Even cranky old Mr. Gareth's house, which Dudley used to hate when he had lived in Privet Drive, was beautiful and welcoming to him. As the Knight Bus passed Piers, Dennis, and Gordon's houses, Dudley's face became so happy that Stan was surprised at the change of demeanor in his passenger. Finally, the Knight Bus stopped with a bang in front of #4, and Dudley jumped up.

"Thanks a lot!" he happily told Stan and Ernie. They weren't so bad after all, were they? "But…can't, can't anyone else hear the bangs of this bus?" he asked doubtfully. Now that he was _home_, he didn't mind talking.

"Don't notice anythin' do they, muggles?" was Stan's reply. Dudley stared at him for a second before jumping out of the bus.

"Bye!" he cheerfully bid Stan and Ernie, waving his hand enthusiastically. Stan waved back, but soon disappeared around the corner as the Knight Bus left with another BANG. Dudley turned towards the neat and clean lawn of Privet Drive, a warm feeling developing inside. This was home, _his_ home. Right now, his mum, dad, Duncan and Delilah, were probably eating dinner, and then they would all watch a family movie together, munching on a fattening dessert his mother would make. Duncan and Delilah! Dudley couldn't wait to see them. No matter how spoiled or annoying they were at times, he still loved them and couldn't wait to see them! And school…his beloved school with all his friends. No stupid Oakvale could compare with it, with its old bat of a headmistress, Mrs. _Maywood_.

Walking, no, more like _running_, up the driveway, Dudley happily jumped onto the porch step and rang the doorbell.


	14. A Dursley you are not

Chapter 12: A Dursley you are not

**Chapter 12: A Dursley you are not**

"Mummy, I want more ice cream!" screamed young Duncan Dursley to his mother, though his eyes did not stray from the movie on the TV.

"Coming, sweetums!" came the happy voice of Petunia Dursley, who then brought over five scoops of chocolate fudge ice cream to Duncan.

"Deli dear, do you want some more?" Petunia asked with a sickeningly sweet voice to Delilah.

"No! I want more chips, _now_!" screamed Delilah in a snobby voice.

"Coming, diddy darling!" was Petunia's reply, as she turned to go back into the kitchen.

"Petunia, get me some soda," ordered Vernon, who was sitting in between Duncan and Delilah.

"Yes dear," said Petunia in a sing song voice. Just then, the doorbell rang, and as everyone else's eyes were glued onto the TV, Petunia went to get the door. When she opened it, her mouth opened in surprise and she croaked, "_Dudley!_"

"Mum…Mummy!" said Dudley, his eyes looking at her lovingly as he ran into her arms. Petunia was shocked for a moment, and then, her mind went back nine years, to the birth of Dudley.

_Flashback nine years ago_

_Petunia Dursley held the chubby bundle lovingly in her arms. "My baby," she whispered, as she kissed his soft fuzz of blond hair. The baby looked just like Vernon, and when Petunia kissed him, opened his eyes and gave her a small smile, so small that only she could see it. _

_"What should we name him, Vernon?" Petunia asked, not letting go of the baby. The nurse smiled at the new mother and quietly left the room, so that the small family could have some privacy. _

_"Dudley of course," Vernon joyfully answered, looking at his first born with pride. "After my grandfather."_

_"And John," Petunia continued, "after mine. Dudley John Dursley…I love it. Oh, he's so perfect Vernon, just look at his little tiny hands and feet!"_

_"Of course he's perfect. He's my son!" was Vernon's reply. That day had been Petunia's happiest day of her life, second only to her wedding to Vernon. _

_One year and two months later_

_Petunia was tidying up the kitchen after breakfast, and looked over at Dudley, who was playing in the playpen. Baby Diana, two months old, was still sleeping upstairs, and when Petunia put the last dish in the dishwasher, she couldn't help but feel as if her life was perfect. She had two beautiful darling children, and Vernon had gotten a promotion just last month. Yup, life was perfect. _

_"Mama!" came a voice from the playpen, and Petunia nearly dropped the dishcloth in shock. Whirling around, she asked Dudley with happy tears in her eyes, "What did you say?"_

_"Mama!" repeated Dudley proudly. Petunia ran over to him and kissed his chubby face all over, "Oh, you little darling!" she proclaimed, "You…you said your first word, and…and it's…it's Mama! Oh, Dudley!"_

_Six years before present day_

_Petunia crumpled the piece of paper she had been reading and threw it into the garbage. The paper had been a letter from her estranged sister Lily, who had just given birth to two twins three days ago._

_Although Petunia and Lily weren't on talking terms, they sent letters and pictures to each other whenever a baby was born to them, just so they didn't lose touch completely. The letter Lily sent now had the twin's pictures, and as Petunia looked at the baby boy and girl, her heart filled with hate, because she knew…knew so well that they too would be freaks, weirdoes. This wasn't the main reason she was angry at Lily though. It was because Lily had given their parents names to the babies: __William__ Henry and Emmeline __Audrey__. William and Audrey, Audrey and Will, her beloved mother and father, who had died because of Lily's freakishness! Yes, they had died in a car crash, but her parents hadn't been bad drivers, and it wasn't like them at all to just drive into a tree! Not at all like them! It had to be because of Lily, it just had to be!_

_Petunia was pregnant, and she knew it was going to be a boy. She had badly wanted to name him William after her father, but now Lily…how could she? She had no right to take that name!_

_"I hate Lily," Petunia whispered to herself harshly, before tearing the pictures of Will and Emma into small pieces and throwing them into the garbage. The pictures of Harry and Anne were up in the dusty attic, somewhere in a small box, but the pictures of Will and Emma would never join them, never._

Present Day

"Mum?" questioned Dudley, confused, looking up at his tuned out mother, who still had that faraway look one gets when recalling old memories. Petunia suddenly came back to her senses with a start and jerked away from Dudley, disgusted.

"You!" she screeched, looking at her first born son with disgust. "Why are _you_ here? If Lily kicked you out, too bad, I don't want you back here!"

Dudley stared with surprise at his mother. He had expected her to return his hug and exclaim how much she had missed him and how she was _so_ happy he was back, but _this_?

"Mum," he started again, coming closer, but Petunia stepped back with so much revulsion, as if he was carrying some kind of contagious disease.

"I don't want you back here!" she screamed, "There was a reason I gave you to Lily! Why don't you understand? I DON'T LOVE YOU, DUDLEY!"

Dudley became as still as a rock, his face becoming pale and a sense of reality crashing down on him. His mother didn't love him. He had been wrong. She hated him, but why?

Just then, Vernon, Duncan, and Delilah came to the front door. "Petunia, why are you screa…" started Vernon, but stopped in his tracks at the sight of Dudley.

"You!" he said, with the same disgust as Petunia, as if Dudley was a piece of vermin. "I thought we got rid of you! Don't tell me that ungrateful daughter of mine is here too!"

"No," said Dudley, "Diana…she…she likes Aunt Lily and Uncle James, but I…I missed home, so I…I thought you missed me too, and…"

"Well we don't, freak!" cut in Petunia, "so don't darken our doorstep again!"

"But mum, you can't possibly hate me!" exclaimed Dudley, "You…you raised me for _nine_ years!"

"So what?" screeched Petunia, "Lily grew up with me for eleven years, and yet she betrayed all of us, becoming a witc…a freak, of all things! Family means nothing Dudley, absolutely nothing, if you're different!"

"That…that's not true," whispered Dudley, as white hot rage suddenly filled his heart. He didn't care that many neighbors were now opening their doors and windows to see what all the noise was about. He didn't care that he was destroying the very slim chance of being a part of the Dursley family again. He didn't care that by disagreeing with his mother, he was sounding just like Lily had sounded many years ago, before she had left home. He didn't care anymore. He just didn't, because do you know why? Reality had just washed over him like a tidal wave over tiny sea shells, and it didn't feel good…at all.

"A family is supposed to support each other through anything. A family is supposed to point out each other's mistakes and help each other out, and most of all, a family is supposed to love each other no matter what," said Dudley, tears streaming down his face, but unusually sounding wise for his age.

"How do you know?" sneered Vernon, "_You've_ never raised a family!"

"I've lived in a family like that for two months and it's enough to show anyone how dysfunctional our family is," said Dudley, finally realizing what a horrible person he had been to his aunt and uncle. "You know what?" he finally asked his mother and father, looking up and giving them a hard look. "I'm glad, no _grateful_, that you kicked my sister and me out. It's horrible to imagine how we would have turned out living with you two, probably fat, arrogant, stupid…"

"That's enough!" yelled Vernon, spit flying everywhere," That's enough! GET OUT! Get out, NOW! You are not a Dursley any more!"

"You're right," came a voice from behind Dudley, "He's a Potter." Dudley whirled around, and came face to face with his uncle, who looked kindly at him.

"Come on Dudley," said James, "Let's go…"

"Home," finished Dudley.

"Oh how sweet," sneered Vernon, "My eyes are tearing up!"

"Oh shut up, Vernon. No one likes you," came another voice from Dudley's right. It was Sirius Black.

Vernon's face became red again and Sirius said, "No don't, a red face really doesn't suit you."

It was at this moment that Dudley noticed his Aunt Lily sneaking into the house through the back door. A few minutes later, she came back out with a self satisfied smirk and disapparated from behind a tree.

Seeing Lily disaparate, James then said in a loud voice, "Come Dudley, the _car_ is parked a block away. We really must get home.

When the trio was a good distance away from prying eyes, Dudley said, "Why did Aunt Lily go into…"

"Shush!" said Sirius, "Someone might hear you, but let's just say that you mother and father will be in for a big surprise when they enter their house!"

"And…" continued James in an undertone. "We will have a long talk when we get home, young man."

Dudley gulped.

A.N. (I know, I know. It was kind of a confusing end, but everything will be explained in the next chapter! Thanks to my reviewers!)


	15. An Apology and a Justification

**Chapter 13: An apology and a Justification**

When James, Sirius, and Dudley apparated back home, Lily was waiting for them with her arms crossed, her eyebrows raised. "Well, that was an interesting visit, huh?" she asked sarcastically. Dudley reddened in embarrassment. He looked down as Lily continued talking.

"What were thinking Dudley, running off like that?" she asked angrily, all traces of sarcasm or humor gone from her face. "Who knows what could have happened to you? You could have been kidnapped, or worse, mugged!"

"Uh, I have to go," whispered Sirius to James before disapparating away. It was never pleasant to see Lily angry.

"Imagine our surprise when we returned home, and Mindy told us you weren't in your room or anywhere in the house!" Lily continued. Dudley continued to look down.

"And stealing that wand, when you could clearly tell it was important to us! Is that in any way a gentlemanly behavior?"

"I'm sorry Aunt Lily," Dudley finally said. Lily stopped in surprise. This was the first time Dudley ever apologized for anything he did.

"What did you say?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…stolen the wand…or, or run away. It was stupid, but…but I,"

"You thought your parents would love you after being separated for so long, didn't you?" asked James from the corner, a look of sympathy on his face. Dudley nodded and the expression of anger on Lily's face disappeared.

"Oh Dudley," she said sadly, putting an arm around his shoulders and leading him to the couch. "I know Petunia, as I've grown up with her for 17 years. We were the best of friends until…until I was 11."

"What happened?" asked Dudley.

"I got my Hogwarts letter," said Lily simply.

"And…" persisted Dudley.

"And Petunia's attitude towards me changed."

"But why?" asked Dudley.

"Well, I never told anyone this, but Petunia wrote to Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, asking if she could come, but he had gently told her no, because magical powers can't be just given. So I guess that would mean she was jealous of me. But all throughout my Hogwarts years, I tried my best to be kind to Petunia and understand her feelings, but I guess I didn't try hard enough," replied Lily a little regretfully.

"But why did she hate you? You were her own sister," persisted Dudley, not understanding the concept of sibling hate.

"I don't know Dudley," said Lily, "And I don't really think I ever will. You're right. It is a hard concept to understand."

"I…I would never hate Diana, or Duncan, or Delilah, if it had been them that was magical and not me," said Dudley with confidence.

"Then that's your own good nature," replied Lily, giving Dudley a warm hug and smile. Dudley smiled back.

"Then…does that mean I won't get any punishment?" he asked hopefully. James snickered and Lily smiled wryly.

"Not at all, young man," she said, and Dudley sighed.

"It was worth a try though," he said.

"Mmhmm," said Lily, as if in deep thinking. Dudley looked at her nervously. "Well, since you already have two days of no comic books (which you will complete by the way), how about…you help Harry de-gnome the garden tomorrow?"

"Degnome whatsits?" asked Dudley, not understanding a word.

"You'll find out tomorrow, don't worry," said Lily, smiling to herself. Dudley didn't like that smile, and thought to himself that degnoming or whatever, sounded very scary.

"Now," said Lily, "Bed time! Up you go!"

"But…it's only…" protested Dudley, looking at the clock.

"No arguments!" was Lily's reply, and Dudley, muttering to himself, trudged upstairs, realizing just how exhausted he was. In his room, Mindy was waiting for him with a tray of his unforgotten dinner, which Dudley gobbled down and then changed into his new pajamas. Before turning off the light, Dudley thought about the evening he had just had. He knew it would still take a long time for the hurt his parents put him through to wear off, but maybe…with the Potters as his family, it would eventually heal…somewhat, like it already had with Diana. Maybe in the future, a few years later, it would hurt less. Dudley sure hoped so, because he didn't think he could bear it if it always felt like this.

In the master bedroom, Lily was combing her long red hair before getting into bed while James was examining Pettigrew's wand, glaring at it all the while.

"Oh James, I'm so happy Dudley's changed," she said, facing him. "Hopefully, from today on, the days will be much happier and Dudley will find it easier to fit in."

"Mmhmm," replied James, still staring at the wand.

"James! Are you listening to me?" asked Lily, somewhat irritated.

"Huh? Oh…of course dear," he replied, looking up at Lily with a sheepish look. Lily rolled her eyes.

"So…what exactly is it you did to Petunia and Vernon?" James asked, an excited smirk look on his face. Lily's face turned very self satisfied as she gladly explained to her husband what exactly would take place in the Dursley household right at that moment.

**Meanwhile, in #4 Privet Drive**

"Oooh, the nerve of that stupid sister of mine!" Petunia exclaimed, slamming the door shut.

"And how dare they make a scene in front of the neighbors!" agreed Vernon. Petunia's face suddenly paled.

"The neighbors! Oh no! How will we ever explain to them what happened? Vernon, this is a CATASTROPHE! We will never be able to show our face in front of anyone again!"

"Now now dear," Vernon tried to soothe his wife, "We…we will just tell them that…your sister and her freak husband were here for money, because…because they spent all of theirs on alcohol. Barely anyone heard what was really said, so it would be easy to convince people!"

Petunia nodded her head somewhat nervously. "Yes…yes, that's what we'll do," she said in a panicked voice, "But…but how about Dudley? How do we explain him away? I already told people Dudley and Diana were being sent to a Military School up in Scotland, because they were doing drugs at such an early age. **A.N. (I know, can you think of a more stupid excuse to give neighbors about your children? I did that on purpose!)**

"Well," said Vernon nervously, eyes peering out the window as if their neighbors had nothing better to do than spy on their boring old lives, "We…we could tell them your sister and her husband took them out of Military School and…and that's why they need more money! They barely have enough to feed their own useless children, so they think they can ask us more money! That's it, Petunia!"

"Well…I guess," said Petunia uncertainly. Even to her, that answer sounded pretty stupid.

Just then, Delilah came running down the stairs, screaming, "Mummy! Mummy! There's a monster under my bed! I sawed it! I swear!" The young girl started crying as Petunia said consolingly, "Now you know that's silly dear, there are no such things as monsters."

"But I sawed it!" Delilah persisted.

"Well, show me where, and I'll prove to you there aren't any monsters in the house," said Petunia, following Delilah to her room upstairs. A few seconds later, Vernon heard a shrill scream, and it wasn't Delilah's. It was Petunia's.


	16. The Dursleys’ misery: Part 1

Chapter 14: The Dursleys' misery: Part 1

**Chapter 14: The Dursleys' misery: Part 1**

**A.N. (The next three chapters are going to be really short, because it centers only on the Dursleys. Hope you enjoy them!)**

Vernon thundered up the stairs when he heard Petunia's scream, shouting all the while, "Petunia! Petunia! Are you alright?"

Petunia's face was pale, and when Vernon came into Delilah's bedroom, she pointed with a shaking finger under the bed. Vernon looked and gave a start, although he didn't scream like his wife. The dead body of Dudley was looking up at him, eyelids closed and mouth wide open as if in a scream of horror. With a pop, the body of Dudley turned into Diana's, and then Duncan, and finally Delilah. Vernon was confused.

"What in the bloody world is happening?" he screamed. Noticing him, the body of Delilah turned towards him and with a pop, changed into the body of his boss, Mr. Silos, who suddenly started to thunder, "You are fired, Vernon Dursley! You are a pathetic excuse for a human! Leave my sight right this moment!"

Vernon trembled. Getting fired from Grunnings was his worst nightmare. But how in the world did his boss just…

"Daddy, I'm scared!" Delilah whimpered. The body of Mr. Silos, noticing Delilah again, turned towards her and with a pop, turned into a very scary looking ghost. Delilah screamed and ran out of the room.

"Argh!" Vernon screamed, extremely frustrated. "What's happening, Petunia? Are we losing our minds??"

"You lost them a long time ago," came a voice from behind them. Petunia and Vernon whirled around, coming face to face with a smiling Lily and snickering James.

"You!" Vernon screamed, "It was you, wasn't it?"

"Dear, dear Vernon," Lily said, grinning and walking forwards, "You should have known it was me. Who else could it have been?"

"Ridikulus!" Lily said, pointing her wand at Delilah's ghost. With a pop, the Bogart turned into a bouncy ball and then disappeared.

"Enjoy the next few days of your life," Lily remarked casually, and with two more pops, she and James disappeared.

"I hate your sister!" Vernon exclaimed. Petunia didn't say anything, looking down at her feet.

**The next morning**

The next morning, when Petunia was placing a large batch of blueberry pancakes on the table, the doorbell rang. Calling Duncan and Delilah down for breakfast, Petunia hurried to get the door. But when she opened it, no one was there. However, on the doorstep, there was a small brown paper wrapped package. Picking it up and closing the door behind her, Petunia walked back to the kitchen and started opening the package.

"Who's it from?" asked Vernon.

"I don't know," remarked Petunia, lifting the lid of the blue box inside. But inside of the box, there was nothing.

"There's nothing inside," she said.

"Nothing? Is this someone's idea of a joke?" Vernon asked, irritated.

"I guess," Petunia replied, throwing both the brown paper and the box into the garbage. The events of the previous night still shook her.

After Vernon left for work, taking Duncan with him to drop him off for his first day of school, Petunia told Delilah to go watch TV while she cleaned up the kitchen.

Just after Petunia put the last plate into the cabinet above the sink, she turned around and gasped. The dining table, which she had scrubbed and cleaned just five minutes ago, looked the same as if she had never cleared it up. Dirty plates littered it, and pancake crumbs were all over it while maple syrup was dripping down the sides of the table.

"What in the world," Petunia whispered to herself. She then turned back to the kitchen cabinet and gasped. The plates, cups, and bowls which she had just washed and cleaned weren't there!

"Was I dreaming the whole time?" Petunia thought to herself, "Maybe I never cleaned them."

So, believing that she had never washed the dishes, Petunia began the cleaning process again. Ten minutes later, she sighed with satisfaction as she again placed the last plate into the cabinet above the sink.

But, alas! Like before, the table was again in a dirty state, and Petunia's clean dishes weren't in the cabinet. Now Petunia knew she hadn't been dreaming. This must have been Lily's doing, just like last night! Had she put a spell on their house? Would they ever live in peace again? Suddenly, Petunia remembered the strange box which had appeared on their doorstep that morning. Had it contained some kind of invisible spell or…magical dust, like in the fantasy movies? Petunia groaned. She would never be able to clean the dishes until the stupid spell wore off.


	17. The Dursleys’ misery: Part 2

Chapter 15: The Dursleys' misery: Part 2

**Chapter 15: The Dursleys' misery: Part 2**

When Vernon received an urgent call from Petunia telling him about the spell Lily had cast over their kitchen, he became extremely angry and felt like barging into the Potters' home, threatening them into reverting their home back to its normal state, but 1) he didn't know where they lived and 2) he knew his measly little threats would be nothing against their wands.

That night, he arrived home to see the kitchen in extreme disorder. After lunch, Petunia obviously couldn't wash the dishes again, so the pile was even higher and the dining table was out of limits for eating, being so grimy and dirty. For dinner, Vernon suggested ordering take-out, because there were barely any _clean_ cooking appliances she could use to make dinner.

The Dursleys ordered Chinese food, and ate on the coffee table in the living room, which turned out to be a bad idea, because _now_, the take-out garbage refused to be thrown out, leaving the coffee table out of limits too.

"Oh, what shall we do?" moaned Petunia, deeply distressed. If this continued, the whole house would soon be tremendously messy, and there would be no way to clean it up.

So for three days, the Dursley adults suffered. They had to only eat take-out, which soon turned out to become boring, and the mess it leaved after was impossible to clean up, not that Petunia hadn't tried. In the afternoon of the fourth day, #4 Privet Drive looked as if a hurricane had hit it. To make it worse, right at 1:30 P.M., the doorbell rang, making Petunia freak out. How could they have guests _now_ of all times? Oh, what should she do? Of course, she could do nothing but open the door. And of all people to come, it turned out of be Mrs. Roberson, the neighborhood's nosiest and cleanest house keepers. Mrs. Roberson was much feared around the neighborhood, and her style was to come over without warning, which was the main reason most people's homes were in perfect order at all times.

"Oh…Mrs. Roberson, please do come in," Petunia said nervously. Mrs. Roberson eyed the horrible mess and the bad odor which had started to develop from the littered food wrappers and un-cleaned dishes.

"I see I came at a very convenient time," said Mrs. Roberson, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, no, not at all," said Petunia with a nervous squeak. "I…I was just…doing a thorough cleaning of the house!"

"Umhmm," said Mrs. Roberson in a tone that clearly suggested she didn't believe a word of Petunia.

"Well, in that case, I'll just drop by to Mr. Thomas. I have _a lot_ to tell her!" With that, Mrs. Roberson went back out the door and down the driveway. Petunia smacked her forhead and gave up a loud wail. "Oh noooo!" she shrieked pretty girlishly, "Now I'll be the ridicule of the neighborhood!"

Just then, as if realizing Petunia had been embarrassed enough in front of the neighborhood's nosiest woman, all of the dishes, garbage, and litter cleaned itself and disappeared. Petunia stared around her house, which was back to its perfect orderliness, and gave up another wail. If only Mrs. Roberson had come now! Oh, drat her stupid sister!


	18. The Dursleys' misery: Part 3

**Chapter 16: The Dursleys' misery: Part 3**

In the matter of two hours, the whole neighborhood knew about Petunia's "messy" house, and for a neighborhood so old fashioned, and not having anything better to talk about, thought this news very interesting indeed. For anyone else, they would have rolled their eyes and not cared a bit what others thought about their house, but for frivolous little Petunia, this was the worst thing that had happened to her for the past ten years, even counting Dudley and Diana becoming magical.

However, three days later, Petunia did have to accept the fact that she could do nothing about it, and soon enough, the rumors died down, having something more interesting to talk about. Mrs. Taylor's daughter had eloped last night, and what a scandal it had created! Petunia herself partook of this gossip, as she had heard it from Mrs. Thomas, her neighbor, and had in turn relayed it to Mrs. Gellert, her other neighbor. So for two whole days, the neighborhood of Privet Drive was buzzing with the news of Lorena Taylor's elopement.

One day, at the end of the tiring week, a woman stood behind a tree off to the side of #6 Privet Drive, quite hidden from view. This woman had long red hair and bright sparkling emerald eyes, and as she surveyed the neighborhood, a smile was forming on her face. Yes, the last part of her sweet revenge was all set, and what a sensation it would create! Thinking thus, Lily disapparated with a pop, but not before pointing her wand at #4 Privet Drive, and whispering "Sonorous!"

"Here you go, darlings," Petunia lovingly said, placing two plates of homemade fries and pizza in front of Duncan and Delilah. It was a bright sunny Saturday, and lunch time at that too. Thinking to herself that the events of the past week hadn't been that bad, Petunia, once again cheerful, hummed to herself as she started to wash the dishes. Suddenly, the phone rang, and Petunia picked it up.

"Oh, Yvonne! What a pleasant surprise! How was Australia?" Petunia exclaimed. Yvonne Summers had been her best friend since primary school, and lived in Privet Drive too. She had gone to Australia for the summer.

"Uh huh? Yea, Lorena Taylor eloped a few days ago. I know! What a scandal!" Petunia loved nothing more than to gossip about other people on the phone, and she did so while looking out the kitchen window, just in case she saw something interesting.

"What? I didn't know Mrs. Gordon's nephew was put in jail! What a delinquent!"

"Oh, and did you know that Mrs. Carlson's son got mugged in London last week while out doing some errands? He came home with more than a black eye!"

The gossip didn't stop here. After a few more minutes, Petunia starting talking spitefully about some of the ladies in Privet Drive, and told Yvonne how "horrible" they were, or how "gossipy" and etc, when in fact those aforesaid ladies were in fact respectable and nice people. What Petunia didn't know was that the sonorous spell Lily had cast was being heard right at that moment all around the neighborhood, as if some invisible speakers had been installed on all the light poles.

"Well Yvonne, it was wonderful talking to you, but I better go before sweet little Duncan and Delilah demand more lunch. See you later!"

It was a happy Petunia who put the phone down, but what she did not know was that in a few minutes, everything would change.

Five minutes later, loud knocks were heard on the front door and Petunia jumped in surprise. No one in this neighborhood knocked _that_ hard! Who was it? Her curiosity unable to wait any longer, Petunia practically ran to the front door like a younger girl and yanked it open. It was Mrs. Gordon. A very fuming, angry Mrs. Gordon. Petunia looked with surprise and said, "Why, Mrs. Gordon, what a pleasant surprise. Do come in."

"Pleasant surprise my !," swore Mrs. Gordon, marching into the immaculately and irritatingly neat house. Petunia looked with surprise at the usually pleasant faced, polite woman. What had overcome her? What tried to recall any incident which would anger polite Mrs. Gordon.

"Why, Mrs. Gordon, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't _you_ act all nice to me, Mrs. I tell everything to that abominable Miss Summers!" Mrs. Gordon replied accusingly. Petunia's face became pale. How did Mrs. Gordon know what she had told Yvonne? That didn't make sense at all.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about, Mrs. Gordon. You must be hallucinating. Please…take a seat, and I'll make you a hot cup of tea to cool your nerves," said Petunia, trying to cool down the angry woman.

"Enough!" shrieked Mrs. Gordon, making Duncan and Delilah look up in surprise. "Enough of your outward niceness! Because that's what it is, outward niceness! I heard what you told Miss Summers about me…and all the women in this neighborhood! It was very rude and not etiquette at all! Plus, it was none of your business! And…and how _dare_ you tell Miss _Summers_ about my nephew! That piece of information was told to you with your promise of secrecy. Now everyone knows that he…he was put in jail! I will never be able to show my face in society again, thanks to you! Now…now I _know_ never to tell you anything again, and I'll make sure no one else does either! You are not to be trusted…Petunia Dursley! Good bye!"

With that, Mrs. Judith Gordon stormed out of the door with a huff. Petunia stood, staring after her retreating form, her mouth open. What in the world had just happened? "Oh…my…god!" Petunia said, slumping into a chair. Had Mrs. Gordon, one of her closest friends in the neighborhood, just accuse her of talking behind her back? Well, she had, but Yvonne was all the way in Australia. There would be no way she could have told Mrs. Gordon that she, Petunia Dursley, had been bad mouthing her, in five minutes! What had happened?

The rest of the day was terrible for Petunia. Not only Mrs. Gordon, but nearly the entire neighborhood's housewives, marched up to #4 Privet Drive, and told Petunia exactly what they thought of her. One elderly woman, who had once lived close by to #11 Rosewood Drive, where Petunia and Lily's parents and they had lived when they were children, and moved to Privet Drive to live with her daughter, even dared to say, "You know what? Your sister and her husband are probably not drunks! I remember Lily Evans. She was the sweetest and most honest girl who lived in Rosewood, and there is no way she could have married a worthless drunk, as you claim! I saw her and her husband the other day when you came, and they looked very well off and respectable! You probably made everything about them up. You always were jealous of Lily! And the children you sent to Military School, I bet there's something wrong with that story too! I admit Dudley was a rough boy, but there is absolutely no way little Diana could have been doing drugs! You probably gave them away, because you couldn't afford to keep them! Or how else could Dudley have suddenly shown up at your doorstep the other day? I can see through your ruse now, Petunia Dursley! You are nothing but an unrespectable, gossipy, backstabbing…"

Petunia had shut the door in the elderly woman's face before she finished, her own face red. How dare that old woman rattle off her tongue, as if she knew her!

That evening, Petunia found out how everyone knew about Yvonne's call. How she found out was…Petunia was talking to Vernon, who was working late at Grunnings, at 6:00 that evening, when Duncan, who was out in the yard with Delilah, came inside and told his mother that everything she was saying was echoing outside, as if some speakers had been installed. Petunia, horrified, told Duncan to talk to his father, and while he did, went out herself and realized the truth. Immediately, Petunia realized this was all Lily's doing. She remembered a time long ago, in Lily's seventh year Christmas vacation, when one of Lily's friends, Diana Elliot, and her had been practicing their charm work at home. Lily was practicing something called the 'Sonorous" spell, and whatever she 'sonoroused' became ten times louder and echoed throughout the house. The girls had thought the spell hysterical and had giggled for a long time that day, but Petunia had not been amused. Now, Petunia realized that it was probably that spell that Lily had used on her telephone, and anger boiled inside of her when she thought of her sister. How dare Lily mess with her life like this, just because she was helpless! Dudley and Diana weren't even her children! Why was she so angry just because she had simply disowned them? "If Lily had disowned her children, I wouldn't have cared a bit about them," thought Petunia to herself.

By the way, Petunia wasn't the only one having a miserable day. Back in Grunnings, James, wearing his invisible cloak, had wreaked havoc in Vernon's office. All the paperwork he had done was "accidentally" found in the paper shredder, torn to tiny little diamond shaped pieces. Also, James had charmed the manager's office and made it a terrible mess, with papers strewn all over the place and files thrown hither and thither, leaving traces of "Vernon" all over the place. Not only that, James had gone to the CEO's office and had taken his most treasured and extremely expensive gold pocket watch, which had been passed down generations in the CEO's family, and left it in Vernon's office. After a thorough search of the building, the police had found the gold watch in one of the locked drawers in Vernon's desk, much to his surprise. This event, added to the previous ones, made Vernon's boss go over the edge, and Vernon got fired. It was a fuming and very livid Vernon that went home that day, and together with Petunia, they cursed the Potters and wished the rest of the Potters' lives would as terrible as their day had been. Their family, which had been one of the most popular and well liked families in the neighborhood, was now the most hated.

"Do you think we were a little harsh with Petunia and Vernon?" Lily asked James that night back in Potter Manor.

"What do you think?" James asked Lily.

"Nah!" was her reply. She felt Petunia and Vernon got what they deserved, after what they put poor Dudley and Diana through.

"Petunia will get over her un-popularity soon enough. Plus, it serves her right for running down her neighbors, and Vernon will find another job, but Dudley and Diana…the hurt in their hearts will never go away, because although we will love them forever, we are not their parents, and we can probably never take the place of the love Petunia and Vernon once had for them," finished Lily, brushing a tear away. James put a comforting arm around her shoulders, and they both sat in silence for awhile, thinking of the future.

**A.N. (This is it folks. The next chapter is going to be the epilogue, but it's going to be good, so don't worry. I loved writing this story, and I hope you all loved reading it! Personally, I loved reading your reviews. They were so nice! The next chapter is going to take awhile to be posted, because it's going to be long, so please hang on!)**


	19. A Very Unexpected Epilogue

Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**A.N. (This is it; the final chapter of my story is finally up! I'm both happy and sad. I'm happy, because this is the only one of the many stories I started which I actually finished, and sad, because I'll miss writing it, and let me admit…reading all those kind heartfelt reviews! To answer many people's question, am I going to write a sequel, the answer is YES! However, it won't be out for awhile yet, because my Sophomore Year in NYU started last week, and I'm very busy! So please hang tight until it does! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this last installment, and I especially hope you all enjoyed this story. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it! And a final thanks to all my kind reviewers! You really did make my day each time I read those words of support! Thanks a bunch!)**

**Elizabeth (Beth) Leslie Vance**

**A Personal Message to Swift Shadow:**** "I'm really sorry I didn't get a chance to use the name Mike Akranos in the way I said I would. I promise you though; he will turn up in another way before this epilogue ends.)**

**One Last Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, settings, etc. The only characters that I made up are Diana, Duncan, and Delilah Dursley, Anne, Will, and Emma Potter, and the rare mentions of Lily Potter's childhood friends. Anything you are familiar with is not mine, because it all belongs to J.K. Rowling, the great woman who created this magical and delightful series. Thank you… **

_**Childhood  
**__****_

"It would be good to give much thought, before  
you try to find words for something so lost,  
for those long childhood afternoons you knew  
that vanished so completely --and why?

We're still reminded--: sometimes by a rain,  
but we can no longer say what it means;  
life was never again so filled with meeting,  
with reunion and with passing on

as back then, when nothing happened to us  
except what happens to things and creatures:  
we lived their world as something human,  
and became filled to the brim with figures.

And became as lonely as a sheperd  
and as overburdened by vast distances,  
and summoned and stirred as from far away,  
and slowly, like a long new thread,  
introduced into that picture-sequence  
where now having to go on bewilders us."

- By Rainer Maria Rilke-

Two years passed, and in those two years, Dudley and Diana Dursley "bloomed and flourished" under the loving care of the Potters. As the days and months passed, they both truly realized what an unhealthy lifestyle they had been leading when living with their parents, and became immensely worried about their two siblings, Duncan and Delilah. Both Dudley and Diana knew in their heart that if their two younger siblings continued living with Petunia and Vernon, they would grow up to be overweight arrogant bullies, much like Dudley had been before showing traces of his magic. As Duncan and Delilah grew older, they might even do worse, like joining a gang, smoking, drinking, etc. When Dudley and Diana discussed their worries with their aunt and uncle, and asked hopefully if there would be any chance Duncan and Delilah would show magical signs when older, Lily and James wrote a letter to Dumbledore, asking him.

"Maybe then, mummy and daddy will disown them too, and they can live with us!" remarked Diana. Her old shyness had long since disappeared and instead brought forth her bubby excited little nature, which had been suppressed when she had lived with her parents, due to her siblings' rowdiness.

"If they do show signs of magic, they will of course be welcome here," replied Lily, smiling at Diana.

"Auntie Lily, are we…are we too expensive to look after?" Diana suddenly asked. Lily nearly dropped the book she had been reading.

"Why, Diana Dursley!" Lily exclaimed, "Whatever put that silly notion into your head?"

"This boy in our school said…said taking care of six children is too expensive. And…and since you already have four, we're, I mean Dudley and I…imposing on you," replied Diana, looking at her feet.

"Who is that boy?" asked Lily, a frown creasing her forward. She was already preparing the speech she was going to give his mother.

"He's the new kid, and his name is…Mike Akranos," Diana promptly replied.

"Well, first of all, I'm going to have a long talk with that boy's mother tomorrow, telling her to discipline her son a little more, and second of all, you two are most definitely not imposing. Did you know that when I was a child, lots of families had six to eight children?" Lily asked Diana.

"Wow," she replied.

"Wow is right," said Lily, "And when we can most definitely afford to keep you, don't you say that ever again, alright?"

"Okay," said Diana.

"And even if we ever are less on money, you and Dudley will never be imposing, because you're as good as our children now," said Lily with a stern look at Diana.

"Aunt Lily! Aunt Lily!" Dudley loudly called out, running into the room huffing. Ever since he had been living with his aunt and uncle, he had lost a lot of fat and was very healthy looking now.

"What is it, Duds?" asked Lily.

"You will never (huff) believe this," began Dudley.

"I'm a witch dear," Lily said, "I've learned long ago to believe the impossible. Go on."

"A letter (huff) from mum (huff) arrived in the mail today, and (huff) it looks very fat!" Dudley exclaimed, finally catching his breath.

"A letter from Petunia?" asked Lily, shocked.

"Yes," said Dudley, handing the indeed thick envelope to his aunt. Looking at the kids, Lily said, "Dudley, Diana, why don't you go outside and play with Harry and Anne? I prefer to read this alone."

"Yes Aunt Lily," both kids chorused, although they were curious to see what the letter said. After they left, Lily climbed the stairs and settled down on a comfy armchair in the Master Bedroom before becoming immersed in the contents of the letter.

_Dear Lily,_

_By the time you read this, I will be gone. Yes, gone, so please don't go looking for me. Before I disappear though, I have something of utmost importance to reveal to you. I am not in the habit of dilly dallying when I speak (or write in this case), so I'm going to say it outright. I never hated Dudley and Diana, and still don't now. There, I said it. I know you probably don't believe me, and are probably throwing several curse words at me (although you were never the one to curse). However, the truth remains that I love sweet Dudley and Diana with all my heart, and never wanted them out of my life, but I was forced Lily, by none other than Vernon. Oh Lily, if only you knew the pain I went through everyday. Vernon's evil, I know that now, but I was blinded by the truth. What happened was this. That day two years ago when Dudley and Diana showed signs of magic, Vernon and I had a terrible fight, so loud that I'd be surprised if Dudley or Diana didn't tell you about it yet._

_Anyway, this was what happened. Vernon wanted Dudley and Diana out of the house, claiming them no children of his, and vowing to disown them. No matter how hard I cried, he insisted on leaving them on the streets that very night, but I wouldn't stand for that, so do you know what he did? He slapped me, Lily. It was the first time he physically abused me! I was so shocked, and so was he I guess, because the next moment, he said he was going to call Marge, my sister-in-law, and ask her to take Dudley and Diana in, or else it would be the streets or the orphanage. Oh Lily, you don't know the dilemma I faced then. If anyone is more evil than Vernon Dursley, it is Marge. Do you remember that one time you met her long ago, and found out about her obsession with dogs? Well, it's the same. Her dogs are her very life, more dear to her even than her own family. Well, what happened once was that one of her most favorite dogs got into a fight with another of her dogs and lost his leg in the scuffle, the poor mite! And do you know what Marge did? She drowned him! Couldn't bare to have a "worthless" dog, as she says, and Vernon wanted me to give Dudley and Diana, my own flesh and blood, my very life, to that kind of women? How could I? Marge doesn't particularly like children, especially abnormal ones, as Vernon would have convinced her Dudley and Diana were, had I not stopped him. _

_That's when I thought of you Lily, my sweet little sister, and I instantly knew you would take care of my precious darlings as if they were your own. Vernon instantly approved of that idea, and that's when I wrote that hateful letter to you. Oh Lily, Vernon made me write that letter, and watched over my shoulder the entire time I was writing it! I couldn't help it, and knew then what you must have thought of me! Oh, what Dudley and Diana must have thought of their mother!_

_That's not it, Lily, there's more. Duncan…and _(there were tear marks here)_ Delilah aren't my children! This is a long story too! What you or anyone else don't know is that one year after Diana was born, I had a terrible illness, and nearly lost my life in the process. I was hospitalized for many months, and when I finally showed signs of life, it was nearly a year later. Recently, I found out that Vernon…Vernon had…an affair with another woman during that time, and do you know who she is? Of Lily, it was my very own best friend, Yvonne Summers! I'm still in denial. How can Yvonne, my…my best friend since primary school, have betrayed me like this?_

_Duncan is Yvonne's son. What happened was that after I came out of my unconsciousness, I lost my memory for, guess how long? Nine months. During that time, Yvonne was pregnant with Vernon's kid, and Vernon fed me these pills that made me believe I was pregnant, although I really wasn't. And during those nine months, we didn't live in Privet Drive, but somewhere up in Scotland in our vacation home. Now I realize that was only so none of our neighbors would guess the reason. Anyway, after Yvonne gave birth, Vernon took the baby, paid her a lot of money, and faked this whole scene where I believed I was giving birth. And I believed everything too, because of the memory lapse and the pills. I was barely conscious during that time, and Vernon took advantage of it, because I was vulnerable and believed anything._

_About Delilah. After I became well again, I became pregnant, and what a rough pregnancy is was, Lily. I was bedridden again, for most of the nine months, and I had to depend on Marge, who lived with us for awhile, to look after the children. I found out recently that Vernon again had another affair with Yvonne, and again she became pregnant around the same time I did. We both also went into labor at the same time, in the same hospitals, in neighboring rooms. Of course I didn't know anything. The baby girl I gave birth to died after one hour, but I didn't know that, because I had a C-section and was in deep slumber. What happened was that Vernon again paid Yvonne a handsome amount of money and took the daughter born to Yvonne, who happened to be Delilah. _

_Oh Lily, it was only two days ago I found out everything, and that too because I was cleaning out the attic, and came across all these documents hidden in a secret drawer in an old cabinet. When I confronted Vernon, he revealed everything. He had been drunk at the time, as he had been for awhile, since he lost his job, and couldn't control himself from hitting me again, calling me all kinds of dirty names. I couldn't help it Lily, and ran across the street to Mrs. Gordon's house. And although she still hated my guts, let me in out of sympathy._

_Anyway, Vernon and I are getting a divorce, and…and Vernon is going to marry Yvonne Summers, and is taking Duncan and Delilah with him. Oh, I know I have no claim over them whatsoever, but I did raise them since they were babies, didn't I? And although they were born over an affair, those poor little mites couldn't have helped it, could they? But that's how it's going to be, and always will be. As for Dudley and Diana, I have changed their last names to Evans, our surname, because they are not to be marred by the disgraceful name of Dursley. I have enclosed their new birth certificates which contain the names of Dudley John Evans and Diana Elizabeth Evans. As for me, I am going to disappear out of this country which holds nothing but terrible memories for me. Goodbye Lily, ever since Dudley and Diana showed their magical abilities, I have not hated you. In fact, I love you, my sweet beautiful little sister._

_Sorry for everything I ever said to you out of jealousy,_

_Petunia Evans_

Lily had tears streaming down her cheeks, as she closed the letter and held it to her heart. "Oh Petunia," she murmured, "My poor poor sister! Oh, how much you must have suffered!"

A.N. (That's it! Everything else will be revealed in the sequel, and to everyone who is confused, since in the Dursley's Misery part, I wrote as if Petunia still hated Lily, she didn't. It was only so that the readers wouldn't find out so soon. Also, I am changing the rating of this story to T, since some of the content of this chapter isn't appropriate for children. Thank you…)


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